


Gleaming Swords and Deadly Flowers

by stanleyman



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-09-22 20:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 39,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9624488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stanleyman/pseuds/stanleyman
Summary: Minori Sakura has always expected to live the rest of her life as a simple street rat of Loguetown, but that all changes with the arrival of a certain straw hat pirate, and she soon finds herself embarking on a journey of a life time. Hotheaded and awkward, she's sure to make plenty of enemies and mistakes, but that won't stop her from finding the romance of adventure....and maybe something more...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work can also be found on my account on fanfiction.net. Same username (stanleyman)  
> Happy Reading!

Follows the canon story from the Loguetown Arc. All characters belong to Oda! I only take ownership of any OC's. 

If you enjoy what you're reading or have a critique to make, feel free to leave a review! I'm always open to suggestions!

Happy Reading!  
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"The city where the Pirate King died. A place called the Town of Beginning and End."

A pirate in a straw hat stood at the prow of his ship, looking intently at the incoming island of Loguetown. Beside him stood his crew, all with expressions of determination and hope on their faces.

The pirates sailed on.  
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.  
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A lone figure stood in the crow's nest of a pirate ship. Whose pirate ship it was, she wasn't exactly sure. The Jolly Roger was relatively basic: a skull and crossbones on top of a simple green circle. The figure continued to stare into the distance, musing as she spotted an incoming ship with a Jolly Roger of a skull with a straw hat.

"A straw hat….I've seen that before..where?," she murmured, completely lost in thought. She took a blank piece of paper and a small black pencil out of her messenger bag and began to draw, making rough, hasty strokes.

The girl was quite pretty, with choppy light brown hair up in a ponytail and piercing amber eyes. Even the dirt on her face and arms and her ragged outfit of torn shorts, a black shirt, and an olive green ripped cardigan did little to hide her beauty, or her fire. There was something about her that proved she was a fighter, not a scared little girl. She continued to watch the ship approach, an air of calm surrounding her.

"What the- Hey, brat! What the hell are you doing! Get off my ship!" A voice disturbed her observations, and the girl reluctantly turned to face a red-faced pirate captain (judging by his overcoat, though he was a bit scrawny) and a small band of men wielding simple swords. Easy prey. She grinned.

"Ah sorry, my bad, just trying to use this old fishing raft as a place to rest!" she called back cheerfully. The pirate steamed and stamped his foot. Seriously, was he a five year old or something? What kind of full grown man would throw a hissy-fit?

"Why you! I spent a good amount of money on that ship and I don't appreciate you dirtying it, you cheeky brat! Men, get her, and teach a lesson in manners!" the pirate yelled, stabbing the air with his sword. His followers yelled in agreement and began to board the ship, waving their weapons around like madmen. The girl sighed. What a troublesome distraction.

With a snicker, she went into action. The girl jumped out of the crow's nest and then leapt off the prow of the ship. With a mid-air twist, she lashed out with her feet, taking out two men. She then sprung back up using her hands, narrowly avoiding a slashing blade. Landing back on her feet, she surveyed her surroundings, narrowing her eyes when she realized the men had formed a circle around her. Her hand shot out, and a strange, pink swirl of energy appeared in her palm.

"Flare!" she yelled as she flicked her fingers up, allowing the flare of energy to fly outwards. The men who came in contact with the glowing streams of energy yelped and collapsed. They rolled around the floor, clutching their chests, before knocking out. Soon, the girl and the captain were the only ones standing, and conscious. The captain backed away, sweat beading his face.

"D-d-devil fruit user?! What kinda' witch are you!" he cried, before turning tail and fleeing. The girl sighed.

"Well that's not very nice, ya' giant cucumber," she muttered.

Quickly, she rummaged around the fallen pirates, pocketing any gold or valuables that she came across. She then lightly leapt back onto the ship, retrieving her bag and paper. Blank only a few minutes before, the paper now depicted a rough but extremely detailed sketch of the straw hat pirate ship. Sakura carefully folded it up before stowing it into her bag. She took another long look at the incoming pirate ship.

"That pirate ship though...with that straw hat...why does it seem some familiar? C'mon, Sakura. You're the top notch spy of Loguetown. This should be easy for you!" she muttered. After a while, the girl, Sakura, shrugged and stretched her arms. She could worry about it later. With an easy smile on her face, she set off towards the center of Loguetown. A new day awaited her.


	2. Awkward Meetings

"Woahhhhh! What a huge town!" the straw hat fellow exclaimed as he surveyed the busy streets.

"Lots of pirates stock up at this town before heading to the Grand Line," a slim girl with orange hair said, smiling, "You can get pretty much anything you want here!"

The Straw Hat pirates had arrived at the entrance of the town. Sakura leaned against a nearby building, taking in their conversation as she pretended to browse a newspaper. With her civilian look, she easily blended into the background. She wasn't exactly sure why she had taken such an interest in this specific group of pirates. It probably had something to do with the familiarity of the straw hat jolly roger.

"Alright! For my upcoming great adventure, I'm gonna need to get some cool stuff!" a rather long-nose man said, grinning at the multitude of shops.

"I'll bet there's lots of good food to check out here," a well-dressed blond guy said, a dreamy look spreading across his face, "and lots of good women!" At this, Sakura made a face. Of course, a pervert.

"There's something I wanna buy, too," a muscular, moss-haired guy said, rubbing his chin. The orange-haired girl grinned.

"Oh? And how would you plan to do that?" the girl asked cheekily, "You're totally broke, aren't you?" Sakura chuckled. A devious woman. THAT, she could admire.

"Yosh! I'm gonna check out the execution platform! I wanna see it! The place where the Pirate King died!" the straw hat dude took off running, flying past Sakura. Damn, why was he so familiar? Straw hat...something about the straw hat…

"Hey, we haven't decided on a meeting place yet! Man, he's hopeless" his long-nose friend called out. Sakura chuckled again. What an orderly group of pirates.

Sakura was done with the observing the crew. She carefully folding up the newspaper and stuffed it into her bag. After a quick survey of her surroundings, she disappeared into an alleyway. She wanted to get a closer look at the captain.  
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The man strolled through the alleyways, hands on his hips. Sakura tailed silently behind.

"Man, I'm beat. I was trying to get to the execution platform, but somehow I ended up here…" he mused as he surveyed the dim alley. Sakura raised her eyebrows in disdain. Was the guy stupid or something? She continued to follow him, her frustration silently growing as she realized that he was continuing in the opposite direction. She knew the best thing to do would be to stay back...but goddamn it! If the guy kept going the way he was, she was going to lose it!

"Looking for the execution platform, huh? It's several minutes the opposite way where you're headed," Sakura called out.

"Ah really? Thank you!" the man replied, cheerfully waving his hand, before tilting his head in confusion. "Wait...were you following me or something?"

With a sigh, Sakura stepped towards the man.

"That's none of your business. What's your name, punk?" she asked, challenging him with a stare. To her surprise, the man continued to smile.

"I'm Luffy! I'm gonna be the Pirate King!" he replied cheerfully. Sakura's eyes widened. Luffy. Straw Hat Luffy. So that was why the hat had seemed so familiar! Of course, she had seen his poster not long ago at the Marine base. With a bounty of 30 million belli, he wasn't a big deal compared to…...him..….but he still would be a legend of East Blue. Still, he looked a bit too scrawny, and naive, to seem like a threat.

"You're a pirate, huh? I hate pirates, you know. Enough to beat up the one standing right in front of me," she grinned. Let's see if that was enough to scare the boy. To her surprise, Luffy grinned right back.

"Really? You should join that Marines then, like my friend Coby!" he laughed. Sakura felt her chest tighten with anger. If there was one thing worse than pirates….

"Pirates, Marines, it doesn't matter. You guys are all scum," she lowered her head, shaking with anger, "Selfish monsters without an ounce of compassion…"

"Ehhh….so I go this way right?"

Sakura looked up in surprise. Dammit, the guy had already walked away! He stood ten feet away, peering at the street ahead of him.

"HEY LISTEN TO ME YOU EGGROLL DAMMIT!" she yelled. Luffy turned back and laughed.

"Eggroll? What kinda' insult is that? You really are funny!" he grinned cheekily at her. Sakura sighed. Despite how annoying Luffy was, and the fact that he was a pirate, she had really taken a liking for him. He was kind of interesting, in a want-to-punch-a-wall-out-of-frustration way.

"You wanna' go there because of Roger, huh?" Sakura hesitated. Helping people out wasn't really her thing. However, she took one look at Luffy's open, sincere face, and something inside of her clicked. "Come on, I'll take you myself," Sakura grabbed onto Luffy's wrist and began walking the opposite way.

"Really! Ah man, thanks!" she heard Luffy giggling behind her. What a nutcase.

After several minutes of walking, they neared a hanging side and doorway. Sakura continued walking without hesitation but Luffy looked up, curiosity on his face.

"Gold...Roger..?" he muttered, reading the sign. Sakura smiled softly.

"Yeah, the barkeeper's a big fan of the Pirate King," she said. Luffy cheered.

"Yosh! Let's go in!"

"What-I thought you wanted to see-"

"But this bar sounds cool!"

Is he always this weird? Sakura thought as she followed Luffy, Can't be helped I guess...

They entered the dinghy bar. It was empty except for a few battered chairs and tables and a hunched over man sitting at the bar table.

"Oi! Old man, I brought ya' a customer!" Sakura called out.

"Hey, hey, you know the bartender?!" Luffy asked excitedly.

"We know each other enough," she replied dismissively. The old man turned and glared at the two.

"You again. Minori Sakura ya' brat, we're closed right now. Shoo him out."

"Hey, hey, ya' lousy excuse of a bartender, you haven't had a decent customer for weeks! You should be getting on your knees and thanking me!"

"Don't get cheeky with me, you good for nothing lump! You should be thanking me for saving you all those years ago!"

"And not a day has gone by where you don't thank the lucky stars for my existence, huh, Raoul?"

"More like not a day has gone by where I don't wanna take it upon myself to stick a sharp sword down yer throat!"

"Ah shaddup, ya giant cabbage roll!"

"Don't think yer weird food curses make a dent on my thick skin, ya stupid baby!"

"Oi, old man, that skull on the table! It's huuuuuuge! What's that from, huh, huh?" Luffy cried, excitedly staring at the skull sitting in front of the bartender. Both Raoul and Sakura turned and faced Luffy, annoyed at him for interrupting their banter. Suddenly, Raoul let out a laugh.

"Well, Sakura, what have you brought me? Maybe we actually have a worthy man here, eh?" he chuckled, peering up at Luffy, "What are ya', a pirate or something."

"I'm Luffy! I'm gonna become King of the Pirates!" Luffy replied. Raoul narrowed his eyes, but a grin stayed on his face.

"Bold words, very bold. Well my boy, since you want to follow in the old man's footsteps, take a look here…." He then proceeded to recount the origin of the skulls, as well as numerous other stories about Roger.

Sakura had heard those tales enough times to recite them all by heart, and easily zoned out. With a grunt, she heaved herself over the bar table and rummaged through a load of boxes, revealing a large cloth sack. Inside was a multitude of papers, each covered in drawings of everyday things, from people to buildings. Sakura grinned. She had spent two long years on the drawings. She felt the pair of necklaces that hung around her neck, grasping at the charms. The charms were quite strange: separate pieces that somehow fit perfectly together to make a flower.

"Oi Sakura! I just cleaned up back there! Mess up anything and I'll kick your sorry butt into the ocean!" Raoul yelled, startling Sakura. She leapt up, narrowly avoiding hitting the table with her head, and saw Luffy and Raoul drinking...milk?

"Yeah, yeah I'll just pretend to believe you actually care about cleanliness," she retorted, chuckling as Raoul glared back at her. Luffy chuckled.

"You two are really funny!" he laughed. As Sakura moved to clear away their glasses, Raoul started.

"You brats better leave. Smoker'll be coming soon," he said, staring at the door. Sakura sighed. Luffy raised his eyebrows.

"smoker? What's a smoker?" he asked.

"Something that'll kick your ass if you stay here," Sakura said. She abandoned the cups and went to grab her bag. To her surprise, Raoul followed, ignoring Luffy's angry yelps of "I'll kick his ass then!".

"Watch that boy, will ya'. Somehow...I feel a bit of Roger lives on within him," he murmured, quiet enough that Luffy couldn't hear. Sakura grinned.

"That ain't something you hear everyday," she replied nonchalantly as she headed towards the door, "C'mon Luffy, I'll take you to the execution platform."

"Yahoo!"

As Luffy raced out the bar, Sakura turned and gave a sideways glance back to Raoul.

"You sure about what you said, old man?" she asked, doubt on her face. Raoul grinned back at her.

"Positive."  
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.

Sakura made sure to keep to the back alleyways rather than the main street. While she carefully checked every corner and stayed within the shadows, Luffy tagged along a few feet behind, hands resting behind his head as he walked seemingly without a care in the world.

"Why you acting so nervous, huh?" he asked, swinging his legs around. Sakura glared back at him.

"Maybe there's the possibility that I don't want either of us to be seen. Have you ever considered that?" she asked, gritting her teeth.

"Nope."

"Of course."

Sakura perked her ears, listening intently. Oh crap, too late. She could make out the uniform sounds of Marines, marching straight toward them.

"We've got company. I'm assuming you can fight?" she asked, glancing back at Luffy. He stared back at her in confusion.

"Well, yeah, but why?"

"Here's why," Sakura turned, facing the open street just as a group of marines came into view. They stared at her as she lifted her hand, letting a large bulb of energy flare up.

"Woahhh, what's that in your hand?!" Luffy cried excitedly. Sakura ignored him.

"That power and that straw hat...no doubt about it. You're that sneaky brat Sakura and the pirate Straw Hat Luffy. Let me guess, two criminals conspiring over something?" one of marines sneered.

Luffy raised a fist, but Sakura moved to stand in front of him.

"No need, Straw Hat. If it's just five, I'm more than enough," she said, face steeled in concentration. She darted forward, her palm encased in a pink glow.

"Heavenly Sparks!" With a spin, the energy in her palm leapt out, transforming into several sparks of energy that shot straight towards the marines. Sakura watched with satisfaction as they collapsed on the ground, twitching and moaning.

"Woahh! You're strong! Are you a devil fruit user?" Luffy asked, eyes sparkling. Sakura smiled back.

"I ate the shi-shi** fruit a long way back," she said, letting thin wisps of energy flow between her fingers, "I control love, the emotion of the heart."

"That's kinda lame…" Luffy replied, puffing out his cheeks. Sakura smirked. She slowly walked towards Luffy, palm still alight with energy.

"Let me tell you something," she said slowly, "You probably have something you love in this world. Something you would move mountains and part seas to protect. Imagine taking all that will, that strength, and send it straight into the core being of another. That's what I do. It doesn't matter how big or strong you think you are. Everybody will fall to the pain of love."

"Oh, I see! So it's a mystery fruit!" Luffy said, nodding his head energetically. Sakura stared back at him.

This guy is gonna be the death of me, she thought helplessly.

"I don't really understand...but you're still cool and pretty strong! Wanna' join my crew?" he asked excitedly.

"Nope, don't wanna," Sakura replied as she turned around, "Let's hurry up and get to the execution platform so I can get rid of you."  
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"Honestly, I don't know what you saw in him!" Sakura complained as she stirred her milk. Raoul laughed.

"He's a little carefree, but I think he pretty likeable. Carries a determination you don't see these days in other wannabe pirates," he said, wiping some glasses.

"Likeable in a sense...I don't know whether to laugh at him or strangle him," Sakura muttered back.

She was back at the Gold Roger bar, after depositing Luffy at the execution platform. Sakura herself didn't see what was so grand about the simple steel tower, but Luffy had just stood there, gawking with an open mouth. Without even a goodbye, she had left, disappearing into the background. She didn't like making ties with people, no matter how small.

"Let's go with laugh," Raoul replied, smiling, "Have you ever thought that maybe-"

"I know what you're gonna say old man, and the answer's no. I'm not interested in them at all, so why should I bother joining them?" Sakura leapt off her chair and headed towards the exit, "I'm going out."

Raoul watched as Sakura left the bar. He took in seat in Sakura's vacated chair, chuckling.

"No matter how much you claim to not care for them, I know deep down, your heart yearns for somebody to trust again," he mused absentmindedly.

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"Find Luffy! He must be hidden somewhere on this island!" the marine commander ordered harshly. Saluting, the soldiers filed out the door.

"Didn't I tell you that your yelling interrupts my pace?" Smoker asked lazily, propping his legs up on the table, "He wouldn't bother to hide. It's ok. I'll catch him again. The marine officer sneered.

"Smoker, you're getting ahead of your years now aren't you, letting that Straw Hat brat get away? Why don't you let a marine commander have a try. I may be below your rank but that doesn't mean I'm not stronger than you," he said, leaning against the wall.

Smoker puffed his cigars. "Do me a favor, Valier, and shut the hell up."

Valier narrowed his eyes. "You may be a captain but that doesn't mean you can boss me around, old man," he hissed.

Smoker stood, glaring at the commander. "That's precisely what being a captain means, you insolent brat!" he growled.

Valier grinned. "Why don't we have a fight right now, and see who really should be in charge?" he baited.

Before Smoker could respond, the door burst open, and a young women ran in.

"Captain Smoker, has anything happened?" she asked, panting. Smoker narrowed his eyes.

"Tachigi, where the hell have you been?" he asked angrily. Valier chuckled.

"Kukukuku...My Smoker, don't you know how to handle your subordinates?" he asked, grinning. Before Smoker could give a rebuttal, the door burst open again, and another two marine soldiers stumbled in, looking incredibly beat up. Tachigi turned around, her eyes lighting up.

"You two are awake," she cried happily, "I'm so glad! Are you alright?"

"It was Roronoa Zoro. We were attacked by Pirate Hunter Zoro!" one of the marines exclaimed.

Outside the room window, Sakura perched precariously on a roof shingle. She raised her eyebrows.

Pirate Hunter Zoro...isn't he some great Santouryou swordsman in East Blue? What's he doing here? She wondered, leaning down to listen in more on the conversation.

"Leave the pirate hunter to me," She heard Valier say, light contempt in his voice, "I'm sure an old man like Smoker couldn't possibly handle two criminals at a time."

Sakura clenched her fists. She would give up an arm and leg to send that rat Valier flying into the ocean.

Patience, Sakura. Now's not the time, she reprimanded herself. But if the marine soldiers were correct, Pirate Hunter Zoro had to be on the island, too. Sakura had heard many tales of the swordsman and how he ruthlessly hunted pirates across East Blue. She smiled to herself. What kind of spy would she be if she didn't gather information on this new visitor? Silently, she crept up the roof, and carefully leapt onto an adjacent building. Time to go.  
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Sakura jumped from building to building, making sure to keep her feet light to prevent them from making any sound every time she landed. It was a lot faster to travel using the building tops, but it came with the possible risk of getting caught. Sakura had to constantly scan her surroundings to make sure there were no marines on sight.

It was the gunshots that caught her attention. Judging by the noise, probably a street away. Without hesitation, Sakura leapt off the building she was on and hit the ground running. She passed by several small shops, and happened to see the strange long-nosed guy that had been with Luffy entering one of the shops, before arriving at a small square. There stood a figure surrounded by a circle of fallen men. One of them, maybe around the same age as Sakura herself, staggered to his feet and took off screaming. Sakura squinted, trying to make out the figure in the center. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

No doubt about it. That's Daddy the Father! Better get out of here for now, Sakura thought, slowly backing away. Suddenly, she heard a yell in the distance.

"WOOW! COOL, THAT OLD MAN!" Sakura turned to see a jumping Luffy next to a scowling, green-haired man. Probably one of his nakama. She frowned. Wasn't Luffy supposed to be at the execution platform? Her instincts told her to run, but her annoyance baited her to do otherwise. She skirted around the buildings, making sure to avoid any crowds, and snuck up on the two.

"Oi, Luffy!" she hissed, quickly taking a step back when the green haired man turned first, hands on his katana...katana? Sakura narrowed her eyes. At the man's side lay three katana swords. Santouryou...

"Oh, it's you! Umm...Momo*? Or wait...Ichigo*?" Luffy said, scratching his head. Sakura resisted the urge to smack him.

"Sakura! Sa-ku-ra! Ok? Aren't you supposed to be at the execution platform?" she angrily asked. Luffy laughed.

"Oh yeah! I was, but then I met this really strong guy and then I took a nap and then I got lost!" he announced.

...What?

"...I see. Well, umm, who's your friend, Luffy?" she asked, gesturing towards katana man, who was looking annoyingly bored with the situation.

"Oh, him? He's my nakama, Zoro! He's gonna be the strongest swordsman in the world!" Luffy replied amicably. Sakura stared at Zoro.

"Wait..you're the Pirate Hunter?!"

*Momo-peach and ichigo-strawberry. Sakura translates to cherry blossom in Japanese, so Luffy is confusing Sakura's name for other fruit.

**shi is short for shin, which translated to heart in japanese. Basically heart Heart fruit


	3. Straw Hats Everywhere

"Why in hell are you two not worried? You have a marine captain and commander on your tails! Is that not an emergency?"

Sakura had been running after Luffy and Zoro for the past few minutes, unsuccessfully trying to warn them of their impending danger. Both men seem uncaring of their current situation, despite her constant pleas and warnings.

"Hungry, hungry! Zorooo, I'm HUNGRY!" Luffy cried, pumping his arms up and down, "I want food! Meat!" Sakura scowled.

Are you two just a pair of brainless turnips? Marines! Dangerous ones! Trying to find you, and kill you! Smoker and Valier aren't people to be taken lightly!" she yelled, exasperated. To her surprise, Zoro started chuckling.

"Look shortie, we're pirates. Angry marines aren't anything new to us. And what's with that insult? You a five year old or something?" he asked, not even bothering to turn his head and look at Sakura.

Oh, that did it. That was the end of the line. If Sakura had to pick something that she hated most in the world, and she hated a LOT of things, it would be being made fun of for her height. Being under five feet tall, it was something she expected to hear, but it always resulted in someone being beat up and something being smashed.

I'll show you five year old shortie! She thought angrily as she quickly stepped in front of Zoro, preventing him from taking another step. With a lunge, she roughly grabbed onto the collar of the man's shirt and jerked him forward until her face was only inches away from his.

"Call me short or a five year old again, and I will personally drive a nail into your face, Pirate Hunter," she hissed. Zoro audibly gulped. Damn, this girl was a monster.

"Shishishi, Sake's scary, isn't she! That's why she should join my crew!" Luffy said as he laughed at the scene. Sakura glared at him.

"My name's Sakura not Sake. Did you not hear Raoul when he called my name?" she hissed as she shoved Zoro aside.

"Who's Raoul?"

"You're hopeless, aren't you?" Sakura turned around, "And I told you before, I have no interest in joining some rag tag team of pirate hopefuls."

"Yeah, Nami's enough, I don't want another she-devil for a nakama," Zoro grumbled, straightening his shirt. With a frustrated scream, Sakura took off running, not really caring where she was going. She had had enough of that idiot Straw Hat and insufferable Pirate Hunter.

"Eh Zoro, you scared her away with your ugly face," Luffy whined, scratching his neck. Zoro glared back at him.

"Shut the hell up."

"Hai, hai."  
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Why the hell am I helping them anyway?! It's not like I care about those stupid carrot sticks! Sakura dashed into a nearby alley, where she leaned against the building wall, panting. She watched as the pair walked past the alley, oblivious to her crouching figure. They're messing up my head! Ok focus, Sakura. Calm down. You're the spy of Loguetown. The one everybody hears about, but nobody, not even that potato head Valier and old Smoker, can ever find! You're a loner, a rogue outcast. You definitely don't need two useless boneheads to hold you back!

With an angry groan, she pushed off the wall and walked away. She needed some fresh air.  
.  
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Gasping, the marine soldier burst into the room, where Valier lay on a couch, lazily reading a newspaper.

"Commander Valier, sir! We've received word of five marine soldiers who have been attacked near the town market! We've deduced the attacker to be the troublemaker Sakura!" he announced, saluting as he gasped for breath. Valier sighed, slowly folding up the newspaper and glancing at the soldier, his eyebrows arched.

"Do you never knock before entering? Must I organize to have all soldiers go through a manners course?" he asked. The marine soldier, not knowing what to say, stood there silently sweat dropping. Valier got up and stretched. His right hand slowly went down toward his hip, where a large thorned whip hung on a belt. An identical one would be seen hanging on his left hip. He lovingly stroked the handle of the whip as he gazed out the window.

"Tell those five marine soldiers that they're fired. We can't have any weaklings at this base. Other than that, leave it. Dismissed," he said, gripping the handle with so much force that the marine soldier fled without another word. Valier spat at the door with contempt before turning back to face the window, deep in thought.

"Sakura….such a sweet name for such an annoying little shit," Valier growled, "I should have killed you that night. Would have done the whole world a favor for getting rid of a little nuisance. Well, no matter. Today will do just fine. I'll hunt you down no matter what!"

With a flick of his wrist, the whip lashed against the couch, easily slashing it up. With another flick of his left hand, his other whip appeared, slamming against a nearby table and reducing it to splinters. Chuckling, Valier exited the room, allowing his whips to trail behind him. For almost seven years, he had been hunting for Sakura. While not a big shot criminal, she was responsible for a multitude of skirmishes, thefts, and injured marines.

Just you wait, my little flower. You can't keep running away from me! He thought savagely, chuckling to himself.  
.  
.  
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The crate shattered into a pile of splinters. A trash bag followed, exploding into mess of old food and a mysterious gray sludge. With a scream of frustration, Sakura grabbed a moldy potato from the pile of trash and flung it against the wall. She collapsed, her hands clawing at the ground underneath her.

What the hell is wrong with me? She thought angrily, shaking her head wildly. Nothing had been going right that day. First the stupid Straw Hat who probably couldn't even tell left from right, then the even stupider Pirate Hunter who seemed to make it his personal priority to piss off everybody in the whole goddamn world. To top it all off, Sakura's concentration had gone down the drain. Throwing her focus and caution to the wind, she bumped into multiple marine troops, tripped over several tussling children, even walked straight into a wall! The gods themselves wouldn't have been able to help Sakura calm herself down.

"A walk. I just need to cool myself down. A walk will do that...maybe," she muttered, grinding her teeth. She shoved her hands angrily into her pockets and tried to calmly walk out the alleyway. The attempt to calm down failed unsurprisingly when her foot snagged into another trash bag, causing her to fall clumsily into a foul smelling pile of something she would rather not know the name of.

"I….am going...to kill a man," she groaned, trying her best to wipe the muck off her cardigan, "And then...I will burn his house down….and eat his dinner."

She staggered into the open street, continuing to mutter awkward curses as she attempted to straighten her outfit. Sakura was so consumed with herself that she failed to realize that she stood right in the middle of a confrontation between a rather strange looking woman with bright pink hair and a blond man with swirly eyebrows. She only noticed when the air around her became rather quiet, and looked up in confusion.

"Uhh, hello…" she said, awkwardly smiling at ms. pink hair, "So...how's you day? Mine's been pretty crappy." Pink hair fumed. Well, this wasn't good. Whatever.

"Carmen-sama would appreciate you getting out of her way when she's trying to challenge her long lost adversary," a rather porky boy sneered, shoving his face towards Sakura. Another boy, a scrawny one with a large face attempted to shove Sakura out of the way with a frying pan, but she neatly sidestepped, smiling as he went sprawling into the dust.

"Try to touch me again, pig brain, and it'll be the last thing you do," she said, glaring dangerously down at both of them, "Here I am trying to take a nice peaceful walk and make conversation when you two start attacking me!" Mr. Porky attempted to make a rebuke, resulting in Sakura taking his frying pan and smacking in the face.

"You should teach your children some manners, lady!" she remarked to the pink haired lady, who was probably Carmen. Sakura watched with pleasure as Carmen's face turned the same shade as her bright pink hair.

"THEY'RE NOT MY CHILDREN! HOW OLD DO YOU THINK I AM?!"

"Ummm…."

Carmen glared down at Sakura, who stared back, completely unafraid. Scowling, Carmen decided to stare ahead, blatantly ignoring Sakura's presence.

"Ignore my two brainless idiots and that cheeky brat, whoever she is," Carmen cried, pointing at curly brows, "Face me, Sanji! Come to the #1 Cooking Contest this afternoon at 1 o'clock! I will skillfully defeat you there!" With that declaration, Carmen began twirling around, eventually transforming into a tornado. Sakura watched, amused as Carmen spun into the air….before collapsing back onto the ground as a dizzy mess.

"So lame," she muttered, watching the two boys hurriedly carry Carmen away. She turned back to face blondie, who was apparently named Sanji. With a start, she realized she had seen him before. He was one of the Straw Hat pirates.

Out of all people, why do I keep getting involved with them? She thought angrily. She expected him to laugh at her, make a rude comment, maybe just flat out ignore her. To her surprise (and disgust), he began to wiggle around, waving his arms as he made strange noises.

"Umm...you drunk or something?" she asked, hesitantly taking a step back. The man continued to twirl around, hearts popping out of his eyes. Oh yeah, definitely drunk. The best thing to do would probably be to leave. Now.

"What a wonderful woman! Such fire, such strength within such a delicate, lovely frame! OH my dear lady, I must know your beautiful name! Please, allow me the grand pleasure of your acquaintance! Oh, even a humble, worthless fool like I requires the luxury of knowing such a fiery woman. To stand up to Carmen-san, a woman of such passion, oh my dear, you must be the greatest of the great! The boldest of the bold! The loveliest of the lovely!" he was suddenly kneeling at Sakura's feet, his lips inches away from her hand.

"Flare!" Sakura thrust her hand, alight with energy, straight into Sanji's face. It had been pure reflex to try and get the disgusting man to move away, but it came with problems. Instantly she knew that she was in trouble. Most of the townspeople didn't know what she looked like, only aware of rumors of a devious girl who lurked in the shadows, disappearing without a trace. Stories of her devil fruit power was the only hint of who she could be, and now that she used in front of the public, her identity was in the clear. Cursing, Sakura aimed her focus at Sanji. At the very least, she could inflict some damage to a straw hat pirate. She expected him to fall back in pain, maybe utter a few curses, and then cower back in fear. What she did not expect was for the man to start rolling around, making gleeful noises.

"OH! This pain in my chest! It is, without a doubt, the pain of love! Oh, my sweet lady, I have been ensnared in the power of love. I am defenseless, a servant to your wishes," he crowed, continuing to wiggle around on the ground. Sakura watched silently, a disgusted look on her face as a shopkeeper attempted to drag Sanji away.

"You better stay away from her if you know what's good for you! That's probably the she-demon Sakura! If you get on her bad side, it's said that she'll hunt you down and curse you with her strange powers! You'll live the rest of your life with an invisible hunter shadowing you!" the shopkeeper hissed. He looked up to see if Sakura was still there, and was shocked to see that she had already disappeared. The other townspeople murmured amongst themselves urgently. Sanji propped himself up, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up.

"So that lovely lady is famous around town? Sakura-chan! What a lovely name to befit a lovely lady..." he mused, staring at the spot where Sakura had been just a moment ago. The shopkeeper gaped at Sanji.

"You just got a first hand view of her magic! Nobody knows what that stuff is! It's witchcraft, sorcery! You need to stay away from her," he cried, unsuccessfully trying to convey his fear to Sanji. After dusting off his pants, the cook got to his feet, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"I'm quite aware of her magic….It's the power of love!" he cried, hearts popping out of his eyes once more. The shopkeeper sighed. There was no hope in talking sense to Sanji.

"Well, anyway, are you really planning on entering that contest?" he asked, trying to steer Sanji away from the topic of Sakura.

"Ah! That's right, Carmen-san! The wonderful, passionate woman from before! But...nah, that kinda thing doesn't interest me," Sanji replied, dusting himself off and walking away.

Hidden in the shadows of yet another alley, Sakura studied the scene. As soon as the focus of the townspeople had shifted to the pervert, she had bolted, running to the first hiding place she could find. She shook her head in annoyance, anger racing through her veins. That blondie, Sanji, was able to grasp the idea of her power so easily! Those stupid Straw Hat pirates! Why did all of her problems have to stem from them? She needed to try and avoid them until they left the island. Yeah, that was the right idea. Then, she could have her regular routine back in place. The pervert Sanji had already said that he wouldn't be entering the cooking contest. If he wasn't then none of his crewmates would be entering either. Triumphant, Sakura set off, confidant that she had found one place where she wouldn't have any run-ins with the straw hat crew.  
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What. In. The. Actual. Hell. Is. He. Doing. Here.

Sakura stared in absolute shock at none other than the damn cook Sanji, who, at the moment was frolicking around an orange haired girl and a long nosed guy whom Sakura also recognized as part of their crew. Sakura glared at them. All she had wanted was some peaceful time spent watching the cooking contest, AWAY from any mention of the Straw Hat pirates. Shoving past a wailing baby and his annoyed mother, she made her way closer to the trio.

"...why are you participating in this contest?" she heard the long nosed guy ask.

"Oh, Usopp, you're here too?"

"I WAS THE ONE WHO CALLED YOU FIRST!"

"Tch. What an annoying group of people," she muttered, turning around. Time to find another place to relax.

"OHHHH! YOU'RE THE LOVELY LADY FROM BEFORE! DID YOU COME TO SEE ME AGAIN, MY LOVE?!"

Dammit. Sakura whirled around, her eyes wide, to see the pervert cook waving wildly at her while his two friends peered at her form behind. She briefly considered running for it, but with the amount of people crowding her, escaping without making a scene would be impossible. With a sigh, she adopted an air of cold unconcern and walked towards the trio.

"Look, will you just shut up and leave me alone?!" she hissed, glaring at the cook.

"Oi, oi he's just trying to be nice. Let's try to be friendly, right?" the long nose guy, presumably Ussop, said as he tried to settle the tension, "Ehem, well hello, my name's Usopp and this is-"

"I don't give a crap. I'm well aware that you guys are pirates. All I know is that I've met your captain, Mr. Mossball, and this pervert and they pissed me off, so can you please just leave me alone?" Sakura shot back. To her surprise, Sanji continued to twirl around.

"I would be so so happy if you would want to cheer for me Saku-mmmphh!"

Sakura had lunged forward, slamming her hand into Sanji's mouth.

"You say my name aloud here, and that elephant tuna over there won't be the only thing that's dead today," she warned, sparks shooting out of her eyes. Sakura heard the announcer explaining the contest rules and could see the pink haired lady Carmen staring daggers at them. "Hurry up and go" she said, roughly shoving Sanji away.

"Oi, oi, she's scary. And how does she know about Zoro and Luffy?" long nose asked nervously. Sakura ignored him.

"I apologize for the knuckleheads we have on our crew," Sakura turned to see the orange haired girl smiling warmly at her, "But I can assure you that not all of the us are as pea-brained as they are. I'm Nami, by the way, and this is Usopp. Why don't we start over with the introductions?"

"Doesn't matter, I hate pirates in general," Sakura said angrily, clenching her fists around her necklace charms. She sighed, her anger deflating like a balloon. "...But my names Sakura. Just don't go blurting it out. I like to keep a low profile," she added, almost like an afterthought.

Nami could see that Sakura's tough facade was fading, and continued her efforts. "Don't worry about those three. They're just idiots. And why exactly do you prefer to stay low?"

Sakura knew perfectly well that she didn't trust Nami at all, but her warm personality certainly was inviting. Cautiously, she responded, "I have a reputation for being a bit of a spy. I eavesdrop on conversations and find things and places that some consider private." Instantly, Name's eyes lit up.

"Private?! I'm just asking out of curiosity, but is there a chance that you know places, like...oh I don't know," her eyes instantly changed to beri signs, to Sakura's confusion, "secret cash vaults or treasure stores?!"

"Oi, Nami, don't just use her to get more money!" Usopp chastised her sternly, "And you know, Luffy isn't really the captain of the Straw Hat crew! I am!"

Straw Hat crew? So was that what they were called? Sakura could easily see Usopp's statements to be false, but she decided to humor him. Why not have a bit of fun? "Then you must be insanely strong! I've heard stories of a long nosed fighter who could defeat enemies by the hundred!"

"You have..? I mean, of course you have! Nothing can stand in the way of the great Usopp-sama!" he cried, puffing out his chest.

"Is that so?" Sakura replied, smirking, "Well, I happen to be quite a fighter myself, you know. Perhaps, we could have a challenge after this cooking contest? I would love to brag to others that I fought against the great Usopp-sama."

"Well ehh, maybe another day. I'm feeling a bit below the weather, you see..."

Sakura laughed openly now, a genuine laugh of happiness. She smiled at Nami and Usopp, who grinned right back at her. Maybe, just maybe, there was a tiny possibility that not all of the Straw Hats were annoying. She didn't do the friends thing, especially with pirates, but it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun, would it?


	4. Her Decision

"The winner: Sanji-senshuu!"

Sakura watched in admiration as Carmen accepted her defeat and Sanji claimed the victory and the elephant tuna.

"Amazing...I've never seen anybody like him!" she murmured in awe. Nami grinned.

"As expected of our crew's cook!" she said cheerfully. Sakura curiously glanced at Nami and Usopp, who were both cheering loudly. She had only spent a small portion of time with them, but their infectious aura was already rubbing off on her. It had been a long time since she had felt this happy.

What a group of people, she thought, her eyes wide. She shook her head violently, trying to dispel her emotions. Too caught up in the excitement, she had let her guard down, even going as far as to stay and hang around a group of people she had just met! This can't happen again, she thought angrily, You're smarter than this, Sakura. Wordlessly she turned around and began to edge away. Distracted by the commotion, Usopp and Nami didn't notice her leaving.

Sanji ran over, lugging a giant elephant tuna.

"Nami-swaaaan! Did you see my glorious win?! Sa-chwaaannnn! Are you proud of my excellent cooking?! I can make all the dishes again, just for you!" he crowed, hearts once again blooming from his eyes. Sakura whirled around, shock painted on her face.

"You...what did you just call me?!" she asked, shaking. Both Nami and Usopp looked at her, confused as to why she was a distance away, and Sanji began sweating when he saw the almost murderous look on Sakura's face.

"Ehhh..Sa-chan? You want to remain low-key, right? Sa-chan prevents anybody from hearing your full name, so..." he said nervously. Sakura remained rooted at the spot. Nobody had called her that since….since...

"..Keri.." she whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Umm...Sakura...are you alright? You're really pale," Usopp quietly asked, his face showing his nervousness. Sakura blinked hard, and her gaze refocused. A hardened look crossed her face.

"Look, you guys are really nice people, and I really appreciate that. But, you're still pirates, and I don't...I can't.." Sakura whirled around, and began to walk away, her shoulders hunched. Nami, Usopp, and Sanji exchanged looks of confusion.

"What just happened?" Usopp whined. Nami sighed, shaking her head.

"It's all because of this idiot's fault," she cried angrily, smacking Sanji, who stumbled around as he struggled to maintain his hold on the elephant tuna.

"I don't know what I did! Oh, what have I done?! To hurt a poor lady like this, oh, I'm a failure of a man!" Sanji wailed, almost collapsing under the fish he was carrying. Usopp quickly ran over and took hold of the fish's head.

"Anyway, we should get going. Whatever's up with that girl, we need to forget about it!" he said, attempting to dismiss the solution. Nami suddenly jerked her head up, looking at the clouds.

"The air's different. It's going to rain,'' she murmured, "We should find Luffy and Zoro."

"The weather's so nice, though," Usopp cried, "How could it suddenly rain?"

"And we can't leave Sa-chwannnnnnn!" Sanji wailed, tears streaming down his face, "I must apologize to her at once!"

"Oi, oi stop calling her that. It's the reason why she got so mad in the first place," Usopp said, smacking Sanji's head.

The three set off, their minds distracted by Sakura and her strange actions.  
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"Pirate Straw Hat Luffy has been sighted at the execution platform along with notorious East Blue pirates Iron Mace Alvida and Buggy the Clown!" the soldier reported, standing to attention.

Smoker stood in front of a window, silently looking over the town. A few feet away, Tachigi sat in a simple chair, sifting through papers.

"Send a unit of marines towards the harbor. When Straw Hat is captured, his crew may attempt to escape to sea. Make sure all escapees are captured. Have another unit surround the plaza. We can't let those three escape, no matter what," he ordered gruffly. Tachigi hesitated.

"And what of Commander Valier?" the soldier asked.

"Valier is occupied at the moment. Send no word of this report to him. You're dismissed" Smoker said. The soldier visibly gulped, but saluted and left. Tachigi glanced curiously at Smoker.

"Commander Valier would want to hear about this, too," she said quietly.

"He's on some random goose chase for that Sakura brat. Leave him be. I keep him around to go after the small fry, but his lack of obedience is annoying. It's time he learned who's really in charge here" Smoker replied dismissively, walking towards the door. Tachigi wordlessly followed. She was well aware of the tension between the commander and captain and knew the only reason for Smoker's compliance for Valier's arrogance was the his acknowledgement of the commander's ruthless nature of hunting down pirates.

If Valier finds out that Smoker-san's been withholding information, he won't be happy, Tachigi thought worriedly.  
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Sakura huddled at the top of a building, her arms tightly wrapped around her. She mentally berated herself.

See, you giant pear? This is what happens when you're friendly with people. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! Sakura sighed, burying her head into her arms, her teeth clenched, You will not cry, you will not cry, you are not a crybaby!

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there, mentally punishing herself for her actions. She lifted her head and stared at the sky. It was the Straw Hat crew's fault. Yeah, that was it. From the stupid captain who couldn't tell left from right, to the asshat swordsman, to the drunk pervert of a cook. Even Nami and Usopp were to blame, for being so friendly with her!

"Ugh, what are you thinking?" she groaned, smacking her head against her knee, "It's your fault for being stupid and lowering your guard."

She clenched her necklace charms, deep in thought. Why exactly did she lower her guard around them. They were pirates, and she was supposed to hate pirates. She was supposed to beat them up, rob them, disappear before they even knew what was going on. So why had she decided to be friendly?

It was a distant shouting that pulled Sakura from her thoughts. She slowly crawled to the building edge and peered over to see a group of marines running down the street.

"Separate once we reach the harbor! Take some men and surround the area! Make sure to capture any pirate who tried to escape! I'll take the rest and take control of all the ships! Remember, we may be looking for Alvida and Buggy's men but the main targets are the Straw Hat pirates!" she heard one marine soldier call out to another. Sakura quickly ducked her head back and retreated to the center of the building top.

"It would be better to sit this out. From the looks of it, they'll be a lot of marines around. I don't wanna risk getting captured myself," she muttered to herself, "Like the Pirate Hunter said, they're pirates. They run into danger every day."

Her hands clenched into fists.

"I can't afford to get caught."

Every inch of her visibly shook.

"They're pirates. I don't give a damn about what happens to them."

Images of Nami and Usopp's cheering faces flashed in her head. She could still hear Luffy's genuine laughter, and see Sanji twirling around like the idiot he was. Even if only for some time, she had had so much fun with them, felt happier than she had for years, even if the happiness came with frustration.

"I'm better off alone as it is."

Sakura was a loner, a rogue. She relied on herself, and hated associating with people. She stood, her fists at her side.

"Damn them all."

With a leap, she bounded across the building tops, fast as the wind. She had to find the Straw Hats.  
.  
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She sprinted through the alleyways, sharply turning corners and peering onto streets.

"Where the hell are you guys," she muttered, leaping over a trash can. A blurb of green suddenly caught her eye. Sakura backtracked to see none other than katana mosshead and the rest of the Straw Hat crew, excluding Luffy. She crept closer, listening in on their conversation.

"We got separated," she heard Pirate Hunter Zoro say, "And I gotta real bad feeling. Something bad is about to happen." Suddenly, explosions ripped through the air, followed by screams and wails.

"Pirates!"

"Pirates are here!"

"Run! It's Buggy the Clown!"

"Buggy the Clown is going to execute Straw Hat Luffy!"

Sakura felt her blood run cold. There was no time to lose. She dashed out of the alleyway, bundling up the group of surprised pirates and shoving them to the side. They landed in a sprawling heap of limbs, dust, and tuna.

"What the-it's you again!" she heard Zoro growl. She glared back at him.

"Yeah, it's me, the she-devil. Got a problem?" she shot back.

"OI! IT'S THE LOVELY LADY! OH MY DEAR LOVELY LADY, I MUST OFFER MY SINCERE APOLOGIES FOR-"

"Yeah, yeah, save it curly brows," Sakura said, before facing Nami and Usopp, whom she found to be the sanest of the group, "There's not much time. The marines are planning to swarm the harbor. You need to find your captain and get out of here."

"EHHH MARINES!?"

"Shut up, Usopp," Nami turned back to Sakura, "From what everybody's saying, Luffy's probably at the plaza."

Sakura nodded. "The marine captain Smoker and commander Valier will probably be there, too. You guys will need to somehow get him out without creating too much of a scene. Those two are strong. If they find you guys, you'll be done for."

"Hold it!" Zoro cried out, to Sakura's irritation, "Why the hell are you trying to help us? What are you going to get out of this, huh?"

"Oi marimo, are you asking to get your ass kicked by me?" Sanji threatened, raising a leg. Sakura stared at Zoro, and to his surprise, there was no fear in her face, only determination.

"Funny, that's a question I've been asking myself all day," she replied as she rose to her feet. She glanced down at the street, which was rapidly becoming deserted, "Strange thing is, I don't really know the answer. Though I have a feeling I'll find out sooner or later."

Nami stared at the people around her, then at the sky. Slowly she got to her feet alongside Sakura.

"What do you propose we do then?" Nami asked. Sakura slowly smiled back.

"You'll want a small group to go after your captain. Less people means less chance of creating that much of a scene. I can take everybody else. I know a place where you guys can hide until Straw Hat comes back. Once you guys are together, you can make a dash for the harbor. I trust that together, you guys will be strong enough to get to your ship. I can hold the marines off until you're able to set sail if you need more help," she explained. Zoro scoffed.

"Oi, Nami, don't listen to her. There's no way we can trust her for sure," he argued, before having to protect himself from a barrage of angry kicks from Sanji.

"Don't fight now guys," Usopp protested weakly. Nami ignored them, staring straight at Sakura.

"Zoro, Sanji, go get Luffy. Head straight to the harbor afterwards," Nami ordered. Zoro stared at her in shock.

"You aren't actually going to-" he choked out in disbelief.

"Ah, Nami-san is so cool when she's giving out orders!" Sanji trilled.

"It's the only thing we can do," Nami replied, "Usopp and I will stay back with Sakura."

Sanji tossed the elephant tuna to Usopp, along with the order "Treat it like a lady!" before running off.

"I WILL DO YOU PROUD, NAMI-SWANNN! WE'LL COME STRAIGHT BACK, NEVER FEAR!" he yelled. Zoro took a long look at Sakura.

"I don't trust you," he said bluntly, "But Nami's right. We don't have any other choice."

Sakura tilted her head, a smile forming on her lips. "What a coincidence," she replied, "That's the same thing I was gonna say to you."

Zoro snorted, before setting off after Sanji. Nami turned to Sakura, chuckling.

"Watch it, Sakura," she said lightly, "You don't want to be playing around with fire."

"Whatever," Sakura replied, "I'm not scared of big bullies."

"Somebody help me with this fish!" Usopp complained, staggering around. Nami and Sakura ignored him.

With Sakura in the lead, the three took off running down the street.

"Hey, Sakura, it's not like I agree with Zoro or anything," Nami called out, "But why exactly are you helping us so much?"

Sakura concentrated on the ground beneath her, her hands going to clench her necklace charms.

"Like I said before, I don't really know why," she admitted, "It's just something I'm choosing to do."

Nami studied Sakura's face, deep in thought.

"I suppose…" she murmured before turning to look at the sky. Sakura looked at Nami curiously, before facing forward.

"We're almost there," she promised. Nami and Usopp both nodded.

The three continued on.


	5. Sakura's Past: The Story of Minori Keri

"Gold Roger bar? You want us to take cover at a bar?" Usopp asked, reading off of the hanging sign. Sakura smiled softly.

"I'm acquainted with the bartender," she replied, ushering them in.

The dim bar looked exactly as it had when Luffy had visited. It was completely deserted except for Raoul, who sat hunched over at a table. He looked up to see the party of three slowly make their way in, with Sakura at the front.

"Oi, what are you doing here, Sakura? And who else did you bring in now?" he groaned. Sakura jumped over the bar and retrieved her cloth sack. She retrieved a pencil and blank piece of paper from it before roughly shoving the rest of the contents back under the bar table.

"They'll need to stay here for a while," she said as she began to quickly sketch, her hand making rapid strokes across the paper, "It won't be for too long though, I promise. Nami, Usopp, this is the bartender, Raoul."

Raoul grunted and rose from his seat. He stared wordlessly at Nami and Usopp, the latter of which began to sweat profusely.

"Umm...sorry for the intrusion?" Usopp mumbled. Raoul grinned.

"Well, if Sakura wants you here, I guess you can stay," he said, before settling back down. Sakura stuffed her pencil back into her bag and presented her sketches to Nami and Usopp. It depicted two men, and despite the short amount of time spent on drawing, they were extremely detailed.

"This guy at the top is Captain Smoker and the guy on the bottom is Valier," she explained, pointing to the men, "Know them well. I can fight against regular marine soldiers, but I'm afraid you'll be on your own if you ever have to face them." Nami and Usopp stared, their mouths open in amazement.

"Did you really just draw that right now? It's so realistic!" Nami exclaimed, "How did you put so much detail into these?" Sakura blushed, ducking her head.

"I've had experience with drawing," she muttered, before handing the paper to Usopp, who continued to ogle it, "I'm gonna head out. You need somebody to be on the lookout, and I'm the only one here who can stay undetected without a problem."

"Wait!" Nami grabbed onto Sakura's wrist, "Thank you for doing all this for us."

Sakura stared at Nami's hand on her wrist before clearing her throat. She nodded once before exiting the bar. Both Nami and Usopp watched the bar door swing shut.

"Geez, what's wrong with her? First, she acts nice at the cooking competition, then she's running away, then helping us, then running away again!" Usopp muttered, exasperated.

"You have to give her credit, though" Raoul said, smiling, "She's new to this." Both Nami and Usopp turned around to look at him in confusion.

"You guys and that boy with the straw hat are the first ones I've ever seen her be so close with," he continued. Usopp scoffed.

"She looked like she was gonna kill one of our nakama because he called her Sa-chan," he muttered, "That doesn't sound like being close."

Raoul sighed. "Don't blame her for that. She's just a little touchy on that name."

Nami raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"

Raoul leaned back on his chair, staring out the window. "The last one to call her that…..Sakura blames herself for that person's death...for a lot of people's deaths."

Both Usopp and Nami widened their eyes, not knowing what to say.

"What exactly did she do?" Usopp stammered.

"That's her business, not yours," Raoul replied brusquely. Nami glared at him.

"You go and say that and then expect us not to be curious?" she protested. Raoul raised an eyebrow before chuckling.

"I can see she's taken an interest in you," he muttered dryly, "You guys don't seem like the type to be afraid."

"Afraid of what? And what do you mean, interest?" Usopp asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Afraid of Sakura and what she's done," Raoul replied, "and trust me, she's interested in you all. Just won't admit it."

Usopp nervously backed away. "Why would we be afraid of she's done?"

Raoul sat silently, obviously reluctant to share any details.

Nami pursed her lips as she stared at the tabletop. "Please tell us, Raoul-san. Maybe we can understand Sakura better if we were to know more about her."

"We may not know her that well, but we want to help Sakura in any way we can," Usopp chimed in, "She's done a lot for us."

Raoul sighed and bent his head, looking deep in thought.

"It's not my place to tell you," he said slowly, drumming his fingers on the table, "But it's a miracle in itself that she trusted you all enough to bring you here, and for that, I believe that you deserve to know. It was quite some time ago…"  
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7 years ago on a Kaihana Island of East Blue~~

She had been watching the two sailors for some time now. It was a miracle that they hadn't noticed her crouching by the the bar, her knees tucked under her, her bag on her lap.

"But man, lemme tell ya', that huge sea monster had teeth the size of meself! One chomp and I woulda' been dead!" the first sailor yelled, banging the table.

"Ahhh that ain't nothin'. Listen mate, my captain took us sailin' on the Calm Belt once! Oh, tha' was a sight to see! No wind whatsoever, and sea kings big enough to make ya' wet yer pants!" the other sailor laughed, wiping sake off his beard.

Sakura would have loved to keep listening, but she felt a sharp nudge to her side. She looked up to see the stern barkeeper, Garu.

"Oi, child. Ya' want to go home by now? Yer sister's probably expecting ya'" Garu growled, though his twinkling eyes gave away his kindhearted nature.

Sakura playfully wrinkled her nose at Gary before getting to her feet. The two sailors started in surprise.

"A brat?! Don't tell me you've been listening this whole time!"

"Hey hey little boy, ya' better get out. This is a talk for adults, not some wet-eared little boys, you hear?"

Sakura shared a smile with Garu before standing up.

"Don't worry sirs. I's about to leave anyhow," she called out as she pushed through the bar doors.

Most little girls would have been thoroughly offended for being called a boy, but 9 year old Sakura felt nothing but pride for her achievement. She carefully touched her cap, making sure that none of her long, brown hair had been spilling out the sides. Glancing down at herself, she took her in muddy brown shorts and ripped t-shirt. To any casual onlooker, she was the perfect picture of a scruffy young boy. The only ones who knew it was really her were Garu and, of course, Keri. With a heave, Sakura shouldered her pack and jogged away from the bar, keeping her head down.

At the edge of the village, overlooking the ocean, stood a small cottage. Sakura eagerly ran up the path, and burst through the door, yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Keri-nee-chan! I'm home!"

A lone figure sat at a table, reading a large novel. She had straight brown bangs, and wore a plain brown sweater and skirt. Strangest of all, she sat placidly in a wheelchair, with both legs covered in a small blanket. Putting her book aside, she turned to address Sakura.

"Sa-chan! My, where have you been?! And wearing those clothes again?" she laughed, looking Sakura from head to toe.

"Whaaaat? I like them, Keri! And besides, I have lots of new stuff to tell you!" Sakura replied as Keri laughed.

Minori Keri had been crippled since birth, unable to develop any feeling in her legs. When both parents had passed away when she was 15, she was forced to look after her sister Sakura, a 6 year old at the time. The two lived in their parent's old home, managing to scrape by on money made from a small sewing service they made. Keri would sew and patch up the old clothes, and Sakura would deliver them to the townspeople. It was a frugal lifestyle, but the two sisters had each other, and that was all that really mattered. However, because Keri couldn't get around without her wheelchair, it was Sakura who mainly did the errands and shopping. To keep her sister from getting bored, Sakura loved to listen to the conversation of travelers and the townspeople and draw any pretty things she happened to come across. She would bring her bounty of information and entertain Keri with her tales.

Sakura carefully withdrew a stack of drawings from her bag and spread them out on the table. Keri wheeled herself over and listened as Sakura described each one.

"This is a wonderful little meadow I found! I might take you there tomorrow. It's full of flowers and butterflies!" Sakura said excitedly, "And this is a picture of some of the birds that I saw in the forest! I gave them a few bread crumbs so they would stay."

Keri laughed, gazing in wonder at all of the pictures.

"You're really turning out to be a great artist, aren't you?" she asked, amazed, "These are so amazing! The birds here look so realistic!" Sakura blushed, studying her feet.

"Whenever I show you my pictures, you get really happy, nee-chan," she mumbled, "Since you can't always get where you want to, it's nice to be able to share all I see with you."

Keri gazed at her Sakura, her love for her little sister obvious in her eyes. She carefully reached over and ruffled Sakura's hair.

"That's lovely of you, Sa-chan, but you said you'd pick up some apples while you were out. Did you forget again?" Keri asked. Sakura giggled nervously.

"Well….."

"Sakura...don't tell me you were hanging out at the bar again…."

"What's wrong with the bar? Garu's a good person! He wouldn't let anybody hurt me. And besides, he always sends us something to mend for him."

"Garu's a good person and I know that Sakura," Keri replied, "But I also know that we need groceries."

"Ehe...sorry.." Sakura muttered.

"Ah it's fine," Keri smiled, "Let's just go together right now."

"Really? Let's go let's go! I'll push you so don't worry about a thing!"

"But you better change. You look a little...scruffy right now."

"Oh yeah, that's right."  
.  
.  
.

An hour and a change of clothes later, Sakura found herself happily pushing along Keri's wheelchair through the village. She was now wearing a pretty yellow tank top and green shorts, her hair tied up a ponytail. They stopped at a produce cart and Keri leaned forward to observe the fruit. Sakura eyed Keri.

"Whatcha looking for huh, nee-chan?"

"Which apples look tasty, Sakura."

"How do ya' know, nee-chan?"

"Good apples are nice and red with no bruises."

"Ahhh I see...that's cool, nee-chan."

"I suppose it is, Sakura."

As the two sisters studied the apples, a pair of boys ran down the path, laughing as they chased a ball. So focused on the ball, one of the boys ran headlong into Sakura and fell back groaning. Sakura turned, her eyes glowing with anger.

"Hey what do ya' think you're doing ya' bas-"

"Sakura! Language!" Keri warned, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"….con…...bacon.." Sakura finished lamely, "ya' bacon.."

The boy stared confused at Sakura before scampering off without a word.  
.  
.  
.

"It wasn't my fault, Keri!"

"Still, you need to learn how to speak more politely," Keri replied patiently, "Remember, you should never call a person a bad word. It's the easiest way to hurt somebody's feelings."

"Whaddaya' mean? I didn't curse. I only said bacon! Nothing else," Sakura retorted.

Keri chuckled. "Yes yes, I understand, so hurry up and finish peeling your potatoes," she said.

Sakura scowled and resumed with the dinner preparations. Keri sat at her wheelchair sewing clothes. All in all, it was a typical afternoon for the two. When Sakura finished the cooking, they had dinner and talked.

"The sailor said that the teeth were as big as him! Can you believe it, Nee-chan? There are monsters out there that big?" Sakura sighed, amazed.

"That's the vast ocean for you," Keri laughed. Sakura beamed back at her.

"I'm glad you like my stories," she giggled.

"You are my eyes and ears on this island, Sakura. I need you if I want to see the world around me," Keri replied warmly. Sakura laughed and leaned back against her chair.

"This is nothing! One day, Keri, when we make enough money, I'll take you all over the world. North Blue, South Blue, even the Grand Line! You won't even need drawings from me, because you'll be able to see everything with your own eyes!" Sakura declared, "We'll go everywhere! And I'll protect you from any bad guys we come across!"

Keri smiled sadly at Sakura. "Yes, I suppose someday we might," she replied softly.

After clearing the table and washing the dishes, Sakura tugged on Keri's sleeve. Somehow, to Keri's surprise, Sakura had quietly changed back into her scruffy street clothes.

"Come on," Sakura whispered secretively, " I found this really cool place by the sea. I'll push you there!"

Confused but curious, Keri allowed herself to be wheeled outside the house. Quietly, the pair travelled away from their home, eventually reaching a small rocky outcrop about a five minute walk away. Sakura was careful not to wheel Keri over any rocks as they picked their way into a small cave within the center.

"Ta-da! Look, nee-chan! You can see the sea and the stars from here! It's like our own little hideout," Sakura threw her arms up, smiling as the warm night breeze ruffled her clothes. She was pleased to hear Keri gasp and murmur in awe behind her. She rummaged around her pocket and withdrew something, hidden from view by her fist. "Ok, nee-chan, close you eyes. I have a gift."

Grinning, Keri did as she was told, and felt something placed around her neck. She heard Sakura saying it was ok to open her eyes, and did so. To her amazement, there, around her neck, lay a beautiful half of what seemed to be a rose pendant.

"It's wonderful Sa-chan, but where did you find the money to get this?" Keri asked, eyes wide with astonishment. Sakura giggled.

"Garu and some other townspeople have been giving me extra money for errands and I saved it all up!" she opened her own hand to show the other half of the pendant. Taking both into her hands, Sakura carefully fit them together. "They're like us, see?" We need each other if we want to accomplish anything, just like this necklace needs both halves to be whole. I take this one, and you take the other!" she said, giggling.

Keri smiled softly at her little sister. "That's how it is, isn't it?" she asked.

Sakura beamed and nodded before hugging Keri's neck. The sisters gazed at the vast sea before them.

"The sea….it's huge isn't it, Nee-chan? I want to travel it with you. And show you everything that the world has to offer." Sakura murmured.

Keri chuckled. "I know you're strong enough to do it, Sa-chan," she said, "but I'd only burden you. It's hard enough getting around this island in a wheelchair. How are you supposed to lug me around?"

Sakura scowled "It doesn't matter. I told you, didn't I? We need to be together if we want to accomplish anything," she argued.

Keri smiled. "Alright, then Sakura. Take me to see the whole world," she giggled.

Caught up in their own happy thoughts, and secluded from everyone else, the pair of sisters failed to notice that ships that rapidly approached the other side of the island.


	6. Sakura's Past: Endless Nightmares

"Hold up," Nami ordered, raising her hands, "So Sakura had a sister, Keri, who called her Sa-chan?"

"That correct," Raoul replied, slightly miffed that he had been interrupted. Usopp let put a whimper as he made the connection.

"And Sakura drew pictures everyday and listened in on conversations for Keri. That's why she's so good at drawing and spying," Nami continued.

"That's correct."

"Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?" Usopp moaned. Raoul smiled grimly.

"If you don't want to hear more I can stop right here. Maybe you're weaker than I thought you were," he said mockingly. Nami furiously shook her head. The way this story was going, it reminded her an awful lot of her own past.

"I want to hear more," she pleaded, "Sakura sounds so sweet as a kid. I want to know how she turned out to be the way she is."

"You mean confusing and sensitive to every little thing we do?" Usopp groaned.

"Oi, watch it, brat. She's feeling a lot of frustration around you guys," Raoul warned, "But you're right. Sakura changed a lot from when she was just a little kid."

"Does it have something to do with those ships you mentioned?" Nami asked. Raoul sighed.

"My dear girl, it has everything to do with those ships," he murmured.  
.  
.  
.

*BOOM*

Sakura awoke with a start, her head jerking up from Keri's nap, where she had dozed off for some time. She hurriedly glanced around, before turning to Keri, who had a clear, worried expression on her face.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked, as she horridly got to her feet. Keri attempted to hold her down, but Sakura wriggled away and ran further out of the outcrop.

"Nee-chan, is it pirates? We needa' go back home!" she called back to Keri nervously. Keri smiled unconvincingly.

"Shhh it's fine, Sakura. It'll probably be the town making a ruckus. Just..stay here. I'll go check it out," Keri began to ease her wheelchair out of the outcrop. Sakura darted back and glared defiantly at Keri.

"I'm staying with you, Nee-chan! I don't wanna' be alone!" she yelled angrily. Keri sighed.

"Sa-chan, I really don't think you should-woah hey!" Sakura had ignored Keri and was now running to the town, pushing Keri along at high speed.

They didn't need to go very far when they saw it. Fire. The entire town seemed to be on fire. Flames lit the night sky, turning the world bright orange. The light illuminated the island harbor, where a huge pirate ship could be seen. Sakura and Keri gaped at the scene.

"Turn back, Sakura. We need to get back home. Now," Keri attempted to maneuver her chair around, but Sakura held it firmly in place.

"We can't, Keri. Garu and the townspeople are there. We can't just leave them!" Sakura's eyes were wide and filled with a mixture of terror and shock, but her voice was filled with determination. Keri slammed her chair with her fist in frustration.

"There's nothing we can do! We need to go back now!" she screamed.

"I don't care! I'm not gonna' let some pirates hurt the town!" Sakura began to push the wheelchair frantically, with Keri screaming the whole way. As they approached the town, both girls went silent. Sakura carefully parked the wheelchair behind a house, then moved around to face Keri.

"Don't worry. I'm good at this! They won't be able to see me. I'll be right back," Sakura whispered, before tiptoeing away.

"Sakura! Get back here right now!" Keri hissed, helpless as she watched her little sister silently move away. Sakura ignored her, choosing instead to slowly creep around the houses until she got to the town square. The heat of the fire made her eyes water, but the sight that greeted her left her speechless.

The townspeople lay huddled in a mass together, looking fearfully at their captors. Sakura could make out Garu, defiantly staring into the eyes of the pirates as he tried to shield the others with his body. Even the boys from the afternoon were there, tears and snot running down their faces. The pirates themselves were the stuff of nightmares. They were clad in thick furs and belts, with horns seeming to sprout straight from their skulls. It was easy to pinpoint their leader, a humongous man with large, yellow braids, horns, and a strange metal mask. In his hands were two scythe-like blades, bigger than Sakura herself. Strangest of all was the man's bright red belt buckle. It depicted the jolly roger of a pirate, with horns and two white bars behind the skull.

"Ne, ne, Jack-sama, why don't we hurry up with the killing already, huh? How long are we gonna' stand here wastin' our time," the pirates laughed, leering down at the terrified townsmen. Their leader, whom Sakura assumed to be Jack, growled.

"Shut the hell up, ya' idiots. There's somebody still hiding. I sense it. You, go find them," Jack lashed out at one of the pirates with his foot, sending the subordinate flying. The subordinate quickly got up and ran off with yells of, "Of course, Captain!"

Sakura flinched. Keri was safely tucked far away, so it must of been Sakura herself that Jack was talking about. Fearful, she shrank down, desperately looking around for a better hiding place. She couldn't let those pirates find her, but where was she supposed to go?

Meanwhile, the pirates continued to laugh. One dragged a little girl away from the rest of the townspeople, laughing as she screamed and tried to wriggle away. Sakura could only stare in horror as the pirate ruthlessly flung the girl against a building, shrieking with laughter as the girl's body flopped to the ground unmoving. Jack himself, chuckled menacingly.

"A pathetic place like this won't have much to offer. But my men have been a little..bored..these past few days. I thought, as captain, it would be my duty to provide them with some entertainment," The rest of the pirates howled with laughter at Jack's words. Sakura bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.

"Oh, what am I supposed to do?" Sakura murmured, tears dripping down her cheeks. Suddenly, a scream was heard from a distance, followed by laughter. Sakura's blood ran cold. That scream. It was all too familiar. Oh dear god no...

The pirate from earlier had returned, towing along a body. Carelessly, he chucked it at the ground at Jack's feet, where it lay whimpering and twitching. Keri.

Sakura could see the pirates laughing, see Jack's mouth moving as he said something, see the townspeople screaming, but all she could hear was the rush of blood in her own head. Not Keri. She couldn't lose Keri. Without even realizing, her fist closed on the nearest item by her, a broken broomstick handle. Within the span of a few seconds, Sakura leaped out from her hiding place, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU MONSTERS!" she shrieked. With a yell, she swatted one pirate over the head with enough force to send him crashing into the building behind him, then stabbed the broken end of the broomstick handle into the stomach of another. She would have done more harm but another pirate sent her flying into the nearby food cart. She landed with a crash and lay there, buried under a mound of wood.

"SAKURA!" Keri screamed, struggling to drag herself over, her legs dragging uselessly behind her. The pirates, surprisingly, had stopped laughing. They glanced among themselves, muttering darkly. Even the leader, Jack, seemed taken aback.

"Interesting….I can't sense anything. Even now, the brat's aura's incredibly faint..." Jack mused, "Though she doesn't seem like a weakling."

Sakura didn't know what he was talking about, and she didn't really care. With a heave, she righted herself, and staggered to Keri, attempting to shield her sister with her own body.

"You'll be alright, Keri, don't worry, we'll figure it out," Sakura murmured, smoothing Keri's bangs. Keri groaned and attempted to touch Sakura's face.

"You need to run," Keri croaked, "Get..out..here.." Both girls failed to notice Jack gesture at Sakura with a nod. With a single hand, one of the pirates grabbed Sakura and lifted her up by the back of her shirt. Sakura kicked and screamed, desperately trying to free herself.

"What are you guys doing! Let me go you monsters!" she cried, fear and anger creeping into her voice.

"Please, let go of my sister!" Keri groaned.

"Stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it!" Sakura shrieked. Whether intentional or lucky, her leg was able to make contact with the pirate. She had been hoping to somehow hit him in the stomach, but her foot hit something slightly lower. With a shriek the pirate dropped Sakura, who, as soon as she landed on the ground, flew into the pirate's face and began to punching and clawing, aiming to injure in whatever way possible.

"ENOUGH!" Jack roared, with enough force to make several of the terrified townspeople faint, and Sakura to tumble off the pirate and collapse in a heap, "I can see that you're no ordinary brat," he growled, "Even a pirate will respect those with strength. I'll make an offer. Come quietly with us, and we'll let all your people go free. A decent deal."

Sakura froze. She didn't think it was possible, yet the ruthless pirate was making a preposition. She wasn't exactly sure why the pirates wanted her, but she needed to somehow keep the townspeople from getting more hurt. Yet, she hesitated. How could she know for sure the pirates weren't lying?

"You promise. You'll leave everybody alone if I just come with you," Sakura asked slowly. Jack laughed.

"Sure. Why not? I'm feeling nice today." he responded amiably. So focused on her decision, Sakura was unaware of the winks and snickers that passed between Jack and the rest of the pirates.

"SAKURA, NO! DON'T!" Keri wailed. Sakura glanced fearfully back at Keri, before slowly walking towards Jack.

"I'll come, so please, leave everybody alone. I don't want anybody else to get hurt," she pleaded, her voice trembling slightly with fear. Jack chuckled, an ominous sound. Without another word, the pirate crowded around Sakura, preventing her from having any second thoughts. Jack slowly turned and began to walk away, the pirates jostling Sakura into following. The townspeople lay immobile, unable to comprehend the multitude of events that had taken place within a few minutes. Keri struggled to crawl after them, before collapsing into an exhausted heap, her tears falling into the dust and drying up from the heat of the fire.

"Sa-chan..."  
.  
.  
.

Sakura stumbled forward, barely managing to keep up with the pirates. Her mind was completely blank, unable to comprehend what she had just done. So dazed from the past events, Sakura barely noticed the going-ons of the pirates or what direction they were headed. It was only the sight of the ship, a monstrous thing with a mammoth masthead and the same horned jolly roger on the main sail, that snapped her back to her senses. She blinked and looked around, confused to see only about two dozen pirates around her.

"Wait...what.." Sakura murmured. As she took on the grins of the pirates, understanding dawned on her. She stumbled back, her eyes wide.

"You couldn't have..you promised..you didn't..please.." she stammered. The snickering around her confirmed her fear. Sakura let out a furious scream, a terrible sound that would have ripped the hearts of anybody with an ounce of compassion, and sprinted away, ducking under the hands of pirates. As she ran, every part of her burned with the understanding of what she had done. She could hear Jack laughing in the distance.

"Let her go for now. It doesn't make a difference. WONDERFUL ISN'T IT?! BETRAYAL!" he called out, howling with laughter.

Sakura ran faster.  
.  
.  
.

Blood. Blood everywhere.

The bodies were uncountable. Sprawled over the ground, draped over carts and broken windows like dirty laundry, thrown against the side of buildings like rag dolls. Filling the air with the terrible scent of blood and death. Sakura stumbled past, her mind and body numb. The smoldering houses clouded the air with smoke, yet Sakura could plainly make out the devastation. She saw the same boys that had bumped into her earlier, lying limply on the ground, covered in blood. Tears trailed down her blank face as she passed Garu, sitting propped against a wall, a huge slash on the front of his body. She wanted to throw up and pass out right at the spot.

Dead. All dead. What had she done? How could she be so stupid as to believe a horde of pirates?

There, lying in the center of the square, was the one person she hoped she would not see. With a strangled sob, Sakura staggered to her beautiful, loving, kind, battered sister.

"Keri, Keri, nee-chan, nee-chan, nee-chan, nee-chan," she sobbed, cradling Keri's head in her arms. Then, to her amazement, she heard a struggling gasp for air.

"KERI! Please, stay with me, please, don't leave me," Sakura begged, tears streaming openly down her face, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Keri, slowly lifted one hand, carefully touching the side of Sakura face. With trembling hands, she grabbed her necklace, struggling to communicate with Sakura.

"I can't...Sa-chan...my necklace..take it…" she croaked. Sakura gingerly undid Keri's necklace, uncertainly holding it in her hand. Keri smiled with her bloody lips.

"There...now I'll be with you forever. Don't blame...yourself...not...fault," Keri coughed, blood spilling from her lips. Sakura could only stare, tears pouring from her eyes, to land on Keri's face.

"Your dream…with the necklace...I...at your side...… show me the world...live..for me...Sa-chan.."

They found her holding her sister's lifeless body, her face pale with shock. Jack roared with laughter with his crew, all of them finding the touching scene amusing.

"Did you really think we would keep our word, you stupid brat?"

Sakura trembled with anger. Tears poured down her face.

"Liars...I'll kill you...I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" With a howl of rage, Sakura launched herself at pirates, every inch of her filled with a murderous rage. With an almost pathetic ease, Jack smacked the girl with one hand, sending her flying into a building, where she lay limply, an unconscious heap.

"That shut her up. Take her back to the ship. And burn this place up. It stinks," Jack turned and left, without a backward glance. His men leered at the destroyed town, laughing as it went up in flames.  
.  
.  
.  
"LET ME GO! I'LL KILL MYSELF RIGHT NOW IF YOU DON'T LET ME GO!" Sakura screamed, tears running down her face. She held out a small knife, brandishing it at the crowd surrounding her. The pirates laughed.

"Is the crying little wuss trying to be brave? Go on then, o' fearless one, and kill yourself! Prove how strong you are!" one of the pirates yelled, beside himself with laughter.

Trembling, Sakura placed the knife to her throat. The last few days had been torture. She had no idea why the pirates were keeping her around and hadn't see even a sign of the captain. She was too busy being beaten, spat on, mocked, and worse. It truly would have been easier to be dead. As she slowly steeled herself to perform the deed, her shaking hand brushed against the two cords around her neck. Sakura's heart dropped.

"Your dream…with the necklace...I...at your side...… show me the world...live..for me...Sa-chan.."

Keri's words echoed in her head. No, Sakura couldn't die like this. Not here, on this stinking pirate boat. Not like this. She needed to live for Keri, didn't she? To travel the world. That was what Sakura had promised her, so long ago. With a sob, she dropped her knife, barely hearing it clatter to the grounds. The pirates howled with laughter, finding the spectacle hilarious. They closed in on her, their faces muddling up to become demons, monsters.

A nightmare.  
.  
.  
.

She crouched at the doorway, struggling to keep herself hidden while listening into the conversation. With the nearby laughter and the constant paranoia of being caught, Sakura could only catch a few phrases.

"...so faint. I can barely feel her at all." That was definitely the captain Jack.

"..Sure? Maybe...some hidden power."

"Do you want to...? ...kill you right now..."

"...sorry...next time..."

"Maybe...weak brat, but...will want to know.." Dammit. Sakura could barely hear anything.

"And who do we have here?" Sakura whirled around to come face to face with one of the pirates. She shrunk back in fear, mind desperately racing to come up with something to say.

"Aren't you supposed to be cleaning the kitchens? We don't appreciate eavesdroppers, you know." Sakura could only whimper in fright as the pirate closed in on her.

The one question that continued to burn in her heart, keeping her awake every night as she lay chained in the filth and squalor below deck.

Why the hell were they keeping her alive?  
.  
.  
.

"Alright. You're gonna go in and pretend to be a lost and crying welp. Use your brains to figure out where they keep their gold. We'll be coming at night. Try to run away and we'll kill you."

"Why do you need me to do that? You guys can handle it yourselves," Sakura spat, her body shivering pitifully in the cold.

"Cuz it adds a little fun. If you're scared of dying, you gotta earn the right to live. You can do what we say and make it easier for us, or we can kill you right here."

Sakura felt ill. She wanted to hide, run, cry, anything but what they were forcing her to do.

"Remember, brat, we'll be watching."

They always were.

As Sakura shakily rowed the tiny lifeboat towards, tears poured down her face. This was for Keri. She had to stay alive for Keri. To fulfill her dream of traveling the world. Whatever it took.

Even if it meant hurting innocent people.

Sakura let out a sob of despair. She was no different from the monsters, wasn't she?

One nightmare after another.  
.  
.  
.

"No! Don't make me pretend again! Please!"

Sakura defiantly stood against the pirate, her hands clenched at her sides. She could still hear the agonized screams of the townrs, see their shocked, betrayed faces staring at her. She couldn't do it. She couldn't hurt others. Not like this.

The pirate glared at her. "You'll do whatever Jack-sama wants you to do or we'll kill you. Simple as that." With a sweep of his hand, he sent Sakura flying into the side of the ship, where she lay in a crumpled heap, her fingers brushing against her necklaces. She let her mind wander, desperately grasping for a good memory, any good memory.

A few months back, Sakura had run back home crying, her knees skinned from a fall. She had clung to Keri, screaming about the pain. After bandaging the wounds, Keri had taken Sakura into her arms and tickled her until Sakura's tears turned into giggles.

You'll be fine. A little fall can't hurt you, Sa-chan, she had chided, smiling as Sakura pouted, You want to know how I'm so sure? Because you're a fighter, and no matter what life throws at you, you'll get right back up and throw something back at life!

Sakura sobbed against the floorboards, her tears pooling around her eyes. Keri had been wrong. She wasn't a fighter.

She was a coward, hiding behind the deaths of others to survive.

A pitiless coward.  
.  
.  
.

One Month Later~~

"Please sir! You have to help me! Pirates! They've kept me captive for so long! Please help me!"

Sakura had been groveling at the marine's feet for a while now. It was only a matter of time before they found her. Then, she would be dead, and Keri's wish would be left unfinished. The marines stared at her, unsure of what to do. She certainly looked like a mess. Her hair was in tangles, with bits of trash and dust stuck within. She wore a shirt that was probably once white, and pants with more patches than she could count. A mess.

"Calm down, girl. What pirates have been keeping you captive, huh?" the marine officer asked. Sakura stared back at him, her mind blanking out.

"Jack. His name is Jack," she managed to sputter out.

She expected him to help. To do something. He was a marine, for goddamn's sake. What she did not expect, was for him to kick her away, eyes filled with disgust and fear.

"There were rumors about a girl who pretended to be lost and hurt," he said, leveling his gun at her, "it's said that every time she arrives to a town, the town itself would be found in ruins. All because of the notorious pirate Jack and his crew. You're that kid, aren't you?"

Sakura fled, struggling to shield her frail body from gunfire. As she ran, she heard the marine calling somebody.

"Suspicious figure sighted at the north harbor. Expecting some form of attack soon."

Sakura grasped at her necklaces. Nobody. Nobody to trust. Nowhere to go.

She ran faster.  
.  
.  
.

One week later~~

She lay in the straw, her bony fingers curled around her necklace charms. After her attempt to find help from the marines, the pirates had locked her in a room with mutters of "more trouble than she's worth." She had curled up in the straw, silent and defeated. She had a vague understanding that they were nearing the Grand Line, but she wasn't really sure, and she didn't really care.

Her hometown gone.

Her life shattered.

Her one possible hope, her ray of light, the marines, uncaring.

I don't want to anymore, Sakura thought, All I've done is hurt innocent people. I don't want to. I don't want to. I don't want to...

Her eyes slowly closed.  
.

She stood in an open grassland. The sun shone brightly overhead, warming her bare arms. Clouds floated lazily across the blue sky. She wore a yellow tank top and bright green shorts. The same outfit from Kaihana. So far back.

In front of her was a figure from so long ago. She sat in her wheelchair, clad simply in a beige sweater and skirt. Sakura felt tears run down her cheeks as she stumbled forward.

"Keri! Keri!"

With a cry, she fell into Keri's arms, where she lay, sobbing her heart out. Keri softly smiled back.

"What are you doing here, hmm? It's much too early for this, Sa-chan," she said sternly but not unkindly.

"I don't want to. The pirates make me do terrible things. If I don't, they beat me. I'm tired of it. I don't want to!" Sakura wailed, burrowing her head into Keri's lap, "There's no other way! I can't do it anymore! I just want to die!"

"Did you forget already, Sa-chan?" Keri carefully touched the necklaces at Sakura's throat, "You promised you would show me the world, didn't you?"

Keri gently stroked Sakura's hair before forcing her to raise her head. The two sisters looked at each other eye to eye, one sobbing, one smiling.

"There is always a way, Sakura. You must continue to look forward. Think, Sa-chan, what do you live for?" Keri murmured as she gestured toward the area in front of her. With an encouraging nod from Keri, Sakura stood and began to walk in the direction Keri pointed. One step after another.

*BONK*

Sakura fell hard on the ground, head throbbing. She looked around stunned. The grass and Keri had disappeared, replaced with the dingy, dark room she had felt so trapped in. She had walked straight into the room's door. Shaking, Sakura struggled to push herself back up to her feet. As she did so, she heard voices coming from the other side of the door.

"-found a devil fruit! It looks kinda stupid, though. "

"Well, it's still valuable! A real devil fruit...Ya' never know what power you might get! They're keeping it locked up in the safe for now"

The voices faded away, but a resolve burned in Sakura's heart. She was gonna get out, one and for all. She couldn't give up. Now yet.

Quietly, she surveyed the room. Now for an escape plan. One that wouldn't fail, no matter what.

"CRAP, THAT BRAT RAN OFF WITH THE DEVIL FRUIT WE FOUND!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I THOUGHT SHE DIED OFF A LONG TIME AGO!"

Sakura raced off, ignoring the rain and the weakness in her bones. Escaping the room, finding and cracking the safe, escaping onto the island, that was all easy if she had determination. Avoiding being caught was the hard part. She could hear the angry yells of the pirates closing in on her. She looked down at her hands, which clutched the stolen devil fruit, a strange pineapple shaped thing with heart swirls.

A Devil Fruit. Sakura had heard dark rumors about them back at Kaihana Island from sailors, and a few of the pirates even seemed to possess devil fruit powers. As far as she knew, it was nothing but trouble.

"WHERE THE HELL DID SHE GO?!"

"FIND HER AT ALL COSTS!"

Sakura hurriedly glanced over her shoulder, before staring at the fruit again. She had to do whatever it took to get away, no matter what. With trembling hands, she shoved it into her mouth, and forced her jaws to chew.

"Mmrph! Chomp! Bleurgh, what the hell is this! It tastes like an old sock!" Sakura groaned as she finished the last of the fruit. She rubbed her hands together.

"Ok ok now do your magic, fruit. Abra Kadabra Bibbity Boom! Magic fruit magic fruit!" Sakura waved her hands in the air, trying desperately to make it something happen. Nothing. Oh, she was so screwed.

So focused was she in the devil fruit that she ran straight into a passerby's leg. With a cry, Sakura fell onto her back. Terrified, she gazed up at the stranger.

Judging by the coat and lapels, it was a marine. He was thin and tall, with dark skin and narrowed eyes.

"Oh? And what do we have here, hmmm?" the marine asked, leering down at Sakura, "Does this little brat not know how to show respect to a Marine Commander when she sees one? Perhaps we should teach her some manners. Nobody runs into Valier without getting on their knees and begging for forgiveness." Sakura watched in horror as he revealed two long whips, studded with thorns.

"Please," she croaked, "Pirates...after me...please!"

"GET BACK HERE YOU FILTHY BRAT!"

Sakura closed her eyes in frustration. The pirates had caught up.

"Oh, pirates hmm?" the marine officer, Valier, mused, "This should be fun."

The pirates approached Valier. They seemed to show no fear over being approached by a marine.

"That brat. She's a deserter of our crew. We would appreciate taking her back now," one of the pirates chuckled. Valier grinned back.

"Is that so? Well then, I have no reason to stop you," he said as he took a step back. Sakura stared in shock.

If I let them handle each other, it'll be less work for me to do in the end, Valier thought to himself, I don't know what's up with that brat, but she needed to be taught some respect anyway!

The pirates closed in on Sakura. They were too distracted by the girl to realize how strange the commander's actions were, and were confidant enough to believe that they could handle anything a marine could throw at them. Too numb with shock after hearing Valier's words, Sakura screwed her eyes shut, her hands clenching her necklace charms.

Keri, save me! She thought desperately, I don't want to die!

What happened next nobody foresaw. A blinding, pink light surrounded Sakura, lighting up the stormy path with its glow. The pirates and Valier struggled to shield their eyes. With a boom, three circular shockwaves sprung out from Sakura. When they made contact with the pirates, they fell to their knees, before slumping forward, completely unconscious. Valier stumbled back, dripping in sweat. Pain blossomed in his chest, so strong that his knees shook and his vision blurred. He had never felt a pain like this. It struck him to the core, made him want to rip his heart out to stop it. With an enormous amount of effort, he managed to stay conscious, glaring down at Sakura.

"What are you?! Some kind of cursed witch?" he hissed.

Sakura stared back at the marine commander. She had no idea what had happened, but it left her feeling drained. Her vision was already bordered with black. She watched in mute shock as Valier unwound his whips, snapping them in the air.

"Whatever you are, you need be gotten rid of," Valier said, gritting his teeth, "A cursed one like you will only be a problem in this world!"

The blow of the whip was enough to send her flying into a nearby wall. Sakura let out a hoarse cry. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to die!

"STOP!" Sakura screeched. Her hands lit up again with the same pink glow from before. Valier hesitated. It was all Sakura needed. Shakily, she got to her feet, before darting into the nearest alley. Valier watched her go, his whips trailing at his side. The shock of the girl's previous attack made him too wary to venture after her.

"Tch...whatever. I'll find her sooner or later," Valier muttered to himself as he turned to walk away, "That power, though...even if it came from a devil fruit...for a little kid to be able to do that..."

Sakura stumbled through the alleyways. Everything felt numb, from her legs to her mind. All she wanted to do was get away from everything. With a cry she collapsed on top of a pile of trash bag.

Darkness swept over her.


	7. Battles in the Rain

"I found Sakura still unconscious while I was taking out the trash. Took her here and patched her up. Been almost seven years since then," Raoul finished, leaning back on his chair. Usopp leaned forward, completely entranced. Nami stared at the ground. So Sakura had been forced into a pirate crew, just like her and the Arlong Pirates. They really were similar in ways.

"So she's been growing up here this whole time?" Usopp asked.

"If you call it that," he said, "All her physical wounds healed, but her mind was never the same."

* * *

_Six years ago_

"Oi, brat, don't you wanna go out? Your wounds are healing up, and you need some sun," Raoul nudged Sakura, who sat huddled in the corner of the bar.

"Don't want to," she whispered. Raoul raised his eyebrows.

"What kind of little girl doesn't want to go and play? I'm sure there are a lot of kids your age around here," he said. To his surprise, the Sakura contiued to furiously shake her head.

"Who would want to play with someone like me?" she murmured. Raoul pursed his lips together.

"Whatever you've done, you obviously regret it," he said softly, reaching a hand out to Sakura, "Just try and look past it."

Sakura swatted his hand away, stubbornly continuing to look towards the window.

* * *

"Deep down, Sakura probably wants nothing more than to be friends with you all," Raoul said grimly, "But she still blames herself for her sister and everybody else's deaths. She probably feels that it's best to stay alone."

"How horrible.." Nami murmured.

"No wonder she was so upset over what Sanji called her. We should apologize!" Usopp cried. Before he could make a move, Raoul chucked a glass straight at his face.

"Ow...what was that for, old man?" he groaned, rubbing his sore nose.

"It took me years to get enough information to piece together her past. She obviously doesn't like to talk or think about it," Raoul warned, "The last thing you would want to do is remind her of it and make her suffer even more!"

The room lapsed into silence, with all three individuals not knowing what to say. Nami cleared her throat.

"So umm..Sakura's a Devil Fruit user? She never told us!" she said, attempting to change the subject. Raoul chuckled.

"The heart-heart fruit. From what I can tell, it allows her to manipulate everything within her that is connected to love, and use it to her advantage," he mused.

"How's that supposed to be powerful enough to take down several pirates?" Nami asked curiously, "I mean, isn't love supposed to be a good thing?"

"There is never love in the world without hate, loss, and pain," Raoul replied darkly, "The agony Sakura feels everyday from losing Keri, her fierce desire to protect what she cares about, she sends it all straight to the core of her opponent. No human being can withstand a direct attack like that. To love is afterall, the most painful thing a person can do."

"That's...terrifying…" Usopp mumbled. Nami nodded her head in agreement. Raoul stood and stretched his arms.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked the questions I was expecting you to ask, though," he said, rotating his shoulders. Nami and Usopp looked at him in confusion.

"What did you expect us to ask?" Nami inquired.

"Well, for starters," Raoul replied, "Why exactly the pirates chose to keep Sakura alive in the beginning."

"You mean she never found out why?" Usopp cried. Raoul silently shook his head.

"She doesn't like to talk about the pirates, so learning more regarding that topic is impossible," he explained. Nami chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"There's something else that's been bothering me, though" she began slowly, "If Sakura went through so much with pirates, why is she helping us in the first place?"

Raoul grinned in reply. "Bingo! That's the big question isn't it? Though it's a question I can't answer either. You'll have to ask her if you really want to know."

A heavy blanket of silence settled in the bar, as the three became lost in their own thoughts. The silence was suddenly broken by a series of muffled footsteps, before the bar doors burst open to reveal a panting Sakura.

"Bad news. Nami, Usopp, you needa' go. Now," she gasped out, struggling to catch her breath.

"Wait wait, what happened now?" Nami asked as Usopp accidentally backpedaled over a chair.

"Your crewmates. The Pirate Hunter, pervert, and Straw Hat. They're heading this way now," Sakura explained hurriedly. Nami furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Isn't that..a good thing?" she asked. Sakura frantically shook her head.

"They kinda' forgot the part about keeping low. They're headed this way now...with a bunch of marines running after them," she revealed grimly. Usopp shrieked in fear, causing Raoul to chuck another glass at him.

"Shut up, will ya'?" he muttered, irritated.

"How are we supposed to properly set sail with marines at our tails? We're doomed!" Usopp wailed. Sakura briskly walked over and slapped him across the face.

"If you would stop crying, we could fix this," she cried angrily before turning to Nami, "You guys need to get to the harbor now and deal with whoever's there. I'll go and see if I can help push the marines back."

"Wasn't the whole point of waiting here to meet up with the other guys before we leave?" Nami protested.

"That was if the others could miraculously get out without attracting attention. Since they messed that up, you'll stand a better chance fighting and getting your ship ready now than if you were to wait for the others to come along to," Sakura replied.

Nami nodded quickly before gripping Usopp's nose and dragging him towards the entrance, ignoring his pained wails. Just before opening the doors, she turned back to see Sakura duck under the bar table. She opened her mouth to say something, but in the corner of her eye, saw Raoul slowly shake his head. Discouraged, Nami remained silent.

"You guys go on ahead. I need to grab some stuff," Sakura called out, unaware of the brief exchange between Nami and Raoul.

"Uh..yeah. Ok then," Nami muttered.

"I think I'm coming down with the notorious can't-go-outside disease. It's extremely fatal and rather contagious, you know," Usopp meekly complained as he wrenched his nose out of Nami's grasp.

"Hurry up and go, you idiot," Nami hissed.

"Oi, wait up, the elephant tuna!"

Seconds later, only Sakura and Raoul remained in the bar. Sakura quickly grabbed her cloth sack of possessions and stuffed them into her messenger bag, ignoring how bulky it was. With a leap, she cleared the bar table and made her way to the entrance.

"You gonna' go out, then?" Raoul asked casually.

"Don't worry too much about me, old man," she called out.

"Stop, Sakura," Raoul ordered. Sakura was tempted to ignore him, but there was a new authority in his voice that made her pause and turn around.

With only a few feet between them, Raoul and Sakura faced each other, and tension filled the room.

* * *

"Oi, Nami! How exactly are we supposed to set sail? According to Sakura, there should a group of marines at the harbor ready to capture us!" Usopp called out, struggling to make his voice heard above the howling wind.

"We'll just have to do the best we can!" Nami replied back, "It's not like we have any other choice!"

Usopp bent his head, his worry clearly showing on his face. Nami looked at him in curiosity.

"Oi, Usopp, you still with me?" she asked.

"Sakura went through so much because of some pirates," Usopp replied, "And she's still choosing to do so much for us. It's a little strange." Nami lightly smiled.

"It's not like none of us have suffered before," she reasoned, her own past in mind, "And she has no love for the marines either. That could be reason enough for her doing so much."

Usopp shrugged, clearly unpersuaded.

"Anyway, we can't waste even a second. If we can't get to the ship safely, we'll be no help to the others," Nami continued.

"Still, this fish is heavy! Can we ditch this thing?!"

"Of course you can't!"

"Oh, silly me!"

They hurried on.

* * *

Sakura raced down the streets, frantically searching for any signs of the other Straw Hats. It had started raining quite heavily and she ducked her head to keep the downpour out of her face, ignoring her soaking wet shoes. She shivered, though she wasn't sure if it was because of the cold.

"Dammit, where the hell are they? That stupid Luffy" she muttered, struggling to see through the heavy rain. Suddenly a flash of lightning illuminated the street, and Sakura's eyes widened as she realized she was not alone. Several feet up ahead, a cloaked figure was slowly walking towards her. She hesitated, her guard instantly up.

"Looking for Straw Hat, are you?"

Sakura froze. The figure had been too far away to hear her muttering. How could he have known? And...who exactly was he?

"That's none of your business," she replied. The figure grinned. Sakura could just make out a masculine face, with a strange tattoo over his left eye. She frowned. In her seven years at Loguetown, she had never seen anybody like him before. The figure jerked his head behind him.

"They're just up ahead. Keep going a little ways and you'll hear them," he said simply before walking past her. Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"How do I know whether or not to trust you, huh?" she called out.

"That's your decision to make," the figure smoothly replied. Within seconds, the pouring rain covered his tracks. Sakura gritted her teeth. Ah, to hell with it. She dashed down the street.

* * *

It wasn't very long before she heard mass shouting and the sound of clashing metal. She turned at an intersection to find a strange sight.

A group of marine soldiers huddled together, murmuring amongst themselves. In front of them, the mossball Pirate Hunter and the other marine lady, Tachigi, were locked at a standstill, they swords tangled up between them. Sakura watched in awe as Zoro easily flicked his katana up, successfully disarming his foe and driving a sword into the wall.

"I can never lose this katana, no matter what," she heard Zoro say as he sheathed his swords. Surprised cries rose up among the marines. Sakura quickly shook her head. No time for admiration. She ran forward, her palms lighting up.

"Love Sparks!" The tiny sparks shot out of her palm and collided straight with the soldiers. In the span of seconds, Sakura, Zoro, and Tachigi were the only ones left standing.

"You again?" Zoro cried. With a scowl on her face, Sakura darted forward, seized Zoro by the collar, and took off running.

"Gotta' go, gotta' go! Nice seeing ya', Tachigi!" she called out, lugging a very angry Zoro behind her.

"What's your problem, you annoying pipsqueak? And where's Nami and Usopp?!" Zoro yelled as he struggled to regain his footing.

Sakura turned around and smacked Zoro's head. "They're headed for the ship. Where's Luffy and the cook?"

"They ran ahea-"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU KILL ME?!"

Sakura and Zoro both turned to see Tachigi watching them, her stiff posture and clenched fists hinting at her anger.

"Jeez man, what did you do to get her so mad?" Sakura muttered. Zoro scowled in reply.

"Is it because I'm a woman? Even though a woman's arm is weaker than a man's, it's humiliating to have someone go easy on you in a duel!" Tachigi continued to yell.

"Let's go let's goo," Sakura muttered. She tried to drag Zoro along with her but, to her surprise, he refused to budge an inch. "Oi, Pirate Hunter, what are you doing?!"

"I doubt you'd understand what it's like wishing to have been born a man! I didn't pick up that sword to play around!" Tachigi cried. Sakura watched Zoro begin to quiver in anger. Born a man? Swords to play around? What had they been yelling about? And why had Zoro separated from Sanji and Luffy? What the hell was going on?

"She's trying to tick you off!" Sakura warned, though deep down, she knew her words would have no effect. Still, why was he so upset?

"I can't stand the fact you exist!" Zoro exploded, shoving Sakura aside to look back at Tachigi, "Listen, that face of yours! It's exactly like my friend who died a long time ago! And now you're even saying the same stuff she did! Quit imitating her, you copy-cat woman!" Sakura stared at Zoro, dumbfounded. What?

"Are you mental?!" she hissed. Tachigi stalked up to Zoro until her face was only a few inches away from his.

"What a rude, childish thing to say!" she exclaimed, "I live my life for my own goals! I don't know what kind of person your friend was, but I'm the one who regrets this! Isn't SHE the one copying me?"

"What did you say?!" Zoro roared back. Sakura stared helplessly at the two of them.

"Definitely mental," she groaned, "Sorry, Tachigi, but I'm afraid this'll have to wait!" Looping her arm around Zoro's neck, she heaved him away.

"What are you doing-ack!? Hold up!" Zoro cried angrily. Sakura doggedly ran on.

"Whatever fight you got yourself into can wait," she replied, "There's not much time before it'll be impossible to set sail. We need to catch up with Sanji and Luffy."

"I get it, so hurry up and let go of me!"

The pair continued down the road, bickering with each other all the way. Tachigi stood motionless amid the unconscious marine soldiers before slowly sliding to her knees. Her vision blurred with the onset of angry tears. She punched the ground in front of her in frustration.

"Shit."

* * *

"How do you not know which way your nakama went?!"

"I was a little too busy to see, ok?"

"What's wrong with you?!"

"Me? What's wrong with you!?"

Sakura cursed under her breath. "How the hell am I supposed to get you to your nakama if you don't even know where they are?" she asked angrily.

"I can find them by myself! Stop trying to help me!" Zoro yelled.

"You couldn't find your way out of a paper bag if the exit was labelled for you!" Sakura retorted. She stared at the road ahead, desperately trying to scrounge up some patience. "Alright, they should be heading to the harbor, so that's where we'll go-ahh...crap."

They had turned on a street corner to see Sanji and Luffy standing across from a very pissed off Smoker. Sakura instinctively backed up, her hands glowing up with a pink light. Zoro smirked.

"Scared, chibi?"

"Shut up, rice ball."

Luffy, Sanji, and Smoker all remained oblivious to their presence. Sakura silently watched as Luffy pulled his arm pack, ready to take a punch. "He can't do that. It's won't work," she murmured. Zoro looked her, confused. Sakura ignored him, focusing instead on Smoker's fist, which had dissolved into billowing, white smoke.

"Luffy can't beat him, not like this," she muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked, annoyance in his voice.

"The way things are, it'll be impossible for Luffy to even land a hit," she replied, sprinting forward. She pushed Luffy aside, causing him to accidently retract his arm, and leaped up, her hands in front of her.

"Shield!" The faint energy glow in her hands sprung forward and morphed into a thin, shimmering wall, seconds before Smoker's white fist slammed into it. Sakura flinched, but kept her concentration.

"Ow…" she groaned.

"What the hell is that?!" Zoro exclaimed.

"Sa-Sakura-chan! It can't be...You're an enchantress?!" Sanji cooed.

"Woah! You can do that? So cool, Sakura!" Luffy cried in awe.

"Glad to see you finally remember my name, Straw Hat," Sakura remarked dryly.

"Criminals attracting other criminals, huh? I should've known you were involved with them, you brat Sakura," Smoker growled. Sakura smiled, despite the pain flowing through her body.

"You won't be stopping them from setting out," she warned. With a growl, Smoker reared back and delivered another shocking punch to the shield. Sakura bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain.

"What the-are you getting hurt?" Luffy asked, alarm on his face.

"My power allows me to create shields out of the emotion of love," Sakura gasped, "It won't create any physical damage, but since he's still attacking a part of me, I take in the pain that would be felt from a direct hit."

"Devil fruit then, huh? Kinda' useless though, apparently," Zoro scoffed.

"How many times do I have to tell you to shut up!" Sakura yelled back.

"OI, you! Don't you dare think that you can harm Sakura-chan and not suffer consequences!" Sanji roared at Smoker. Sakura gritted her teeth, struggling to keep her concentration despite her annoyance.

"He may be made out of smoke, but he's still human, and all humans are capable of feeling love," she spat, "I'm the only one here who can land an attack on him. You guys need to run on ahead."

"We would never dream of leaving you alone, Sakura-chan!" Sanji cried out.

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Oi, chibi, stop trying to play the hero and let me take a hit at him!"

"I told you, your attacks won't have any effect on him, you idiots!" Sakura yelled, her patience wearing thin. Smoker continued to hover in a state between human and gas, searching for an opening. Sakura knew that sooner or later, he would strike, and she had no idea if she was strong enough to keep her shield up.

"Zoro, Sanji, go on ahead," To everybody's surprise, Luffy spoke, the brim of his hat covering his eyes. "Get to the ship."

"Nami and Usopp are there already. They'll probably need your help," Sakura added, those she refused to take her eyes off Smoker. Sanji frowned but nodded, and set off, calling out threats to Smoker as he ran. However, Zoro hesitated, clearly unwilling to leave.

"Trust me, rice ball," Sakura called out, "Let me deal with this." Zoro still looked unhappy, but he nodded and set off after Sanji.

"Oi, you too, Luffy!" Sakura yelled. Luffy chuckled.

"No can do. I don't leave my nakama alone." he said casually. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Your nakama just ran off. If you don't wanna' leave them alone, you should go after them," she warned.

"But I still got nakama here that I need to protect."

Sakura spun around, her concentration shattering as she stared wide eyed at Luffy. Her shield flickered and died out. What did he say just now?

"Don't turn your back on the enemy," Smoker growled as he dive bombed straight into her. At the last second, she felt something wrap around her middle and jerk her away. She looked down, and to her surprise, saw a long limb tangled up around her body. Slowly, Sakura traced it back to Luffy.

"The hell is this?!" she screamed. She felt the limb's hold around her loosen and watched in shock is it retracted back to Luffy.

"Shi-shi-shi-shi, I ate a devil fruit, too" he explained cheerfully, "I'm a rubber man!"

"Ahhh…" was all Sakura managed to choke out. Luffy grinned.

"We'll fight together, or not at all!" he declared, "That's what friends do!"

Despite the serious situation, Sakura couldn't help but smile.

"Luffy, you're really an interesting one," she chuckled, "Alright then, let's do it.

Together, they faced Smoker, one winding his arms, the other raising her hands in front of her. The battle was on.

.

.

"Ku-ku-ku-ku...I do believe I'm being left out,"

Sakura felt her blood run cold. She whipped her head around, her eyes widening as she saw none other than Valier slowly walk out of the shadows of the alleyway, a cold smirk on his face. She let her palms light up with a bright glow as a warning.

"You stay the hell away from me," she hissed. Valier ignored her and faced Smoker.

"Oh dear, Captain Smoker," he said mockingly, "I do believe that you forgot to inform your marine commander Valier of the threats of such big name East Blue pirates. I've been running around all over trying to figure out how so many criminals were being allowed to wander unchecked. Ku-ku-ku-ku….A careless mistake, don't you think?"

Smoker scowled, his fist dissolving into smoke. "Do me a favor, Valier, and shut the hell up."

Valier's smirk transformed into an ugly glare. "Don't get so cocky, Smoker," he hissed as he tightened his hold on his whips, "We both know who's the better fighter here."

Smoker raised his eyebrow. "If we both know that I'm stronger than you, why don't you learn to respect your captain, Commander?"

"Titles don't mean shit to me," Valier snarled, "I've been here longer than you, Smoker, and the only reason why I chose to stay in a lower position is to avoid extra responsibility. We're both aware that when it comes to justice, I'm the better marine."

Smoker grinned darkly. "Keep thinking that."

Luffy scratched his head. "I don't get it. They both look like marines, so why do they hate each other?"

"They've been like this for years," Sakura explained, her expression grim, "Valier has been stationed here longer, but Smoker has the higher title. Because of that, Valier continues to resent and defy Smoker, but Smoker can't do anything because of Valier has been here longer, and he still gets the job done as a marine, even if his sense of justice is twisted."

"Hmmm..so they're both idiots!" Luffy declared.

"I don't need to hear that shit from you!" both Smoker and Valier yelled.

"Watch out, Luffy. They're both extremely strong fighters. This'll be hard to get out of," Sakura warned, "Smoker ate the Moku-moku fruit, I believe. He's a smoke man. And Valier uses his thorned whips to fight. They don't show any mercy."

Luffy grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "Good. That means it'll be a proper fight!"


	8. A New Nakama and a New Start!

"Fine." To everybody's surprise, Smoker moved back and leaned against a building wall, shielding his face from the storm.

"What?" Valier asked, his arrogant tone disappearing to show confusion. Smoker shrugged.

"Go ahead, Valier. If you think you're enough to defeat the two, I won't stop you," he replied, nonchalantly puffing his cigars. _Kill two birds with one stone. Simple enough,_ he thought.

Valier sneered. "Ku-ku-ku-ku, don't think that I don't see what you're trying to do, Smoker," he chuckled.

"Oi, Valley, do I have to kick your ass or what?" Luffy yelled. Sakura wanted to bury her face into her hands.

"It's….Valier, you punk," Valier growled, an ugly grimace on his face, "Though…I am quite surprised. Never would I expect a pirate to be so adamant about helping out a random street rat."

"She's my nakama," Luffy calmly replied. Sakura stared at him. He had said it so casually, almost like it was second nature.

"Nakama…?" she murmured. Valier's eyes bulged.

"Ku-ku-ku-ku...nakama? You think she's your nakama?" he cried as he burst into laughter, "Ku-ku-ku-ku! How laughable! She's nothing but a cowardly little sneak!"

Sakura shifted her gaze to glare at Valier. She moved to step forward, but to her surprise, Luffy held out a hand, stopping her.

"What did you call her?" he asked quietly, his voice carrying a threatening undertone. Sakura looked at him curiously. She had come to see Luffy as an idiotic little kid who constantly needed somebody to look after him and could barely recognize the figure that stood in front of her now. Valier grinned, obviously enjoying their reactions.

"A little cowardly sneak," he repeated, laughing as he did so, "Ku-ku-ku-ku...Honestly I don't know why you even bother helping her out, even if you're just pirate scum." He let out a cruel laugh. "You probably think she's so wonderful, don't you, Straw Hat?" he continued, "But do you really know who she is?"

"Stop...Shut up," Sakura whispered.

"The little brat who came to Loguetown almost seven years ago," Valier yelled, scorn and disgust in his voice, "Chased by a group of pirates! What kind of past have you been hiding, little rat? Did you rob them, huh? Pretend to be all friendly before stabbing them in the back and running off, just like you plan on stabbing these idiots in the back?"

"You don't know anything about me!" Sakura screamed, yet she could still feel a sickly guilt in her stomach. She could never forgive herself for the past, not really.

"A little girl affiliated with pirates!" Valier continued, "Nothing good could possibly come out of that! Tell me, what sick things have you done in the past that have caused you to become the corrupted, vile thing you-"

Whatever Valier had been planning to say next was cut off by Luffy's fist smashing into his mouth, sending him flying into the side of a building.

"I don't give a damn who she is or what's she's done in the past!" Luffy roared, "She helped me and my crew out today! Because of that, she's my nakama, too!" Sakura stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth open but unable to form coherent words.

Valier emerged from the rubble of the building, his whips lashing out to randomly smack at the stones and ground.

"Brainless scum backing up other brainless scum," he spat, "Pirates and sneaks! Your very titles label you as criminals to the world," Sakura watched as Valier slowly raised his right hand whip, preparing to attack. She raised her hands to make a shield but Luffy shoved her out of the way and ran forward.

"Luffy, no!" Sakura started to run forward, ready to help him out.

"Sakura, stay back!" Luffy screamed. Sakura watched helplessly as they engaged in combat.

"Gomu Gomu no…..Pistol!" Luffy shot out his fist, aiming straight for Valier. It would have been devastating blow, but at the last second, Valier darted to the side, and Luffy's arm shot harmlessly into the wall. Valier leaped up, flicking his wrists, causing his whips to lash forward.

"Thorn Wrap!" The whips looped around Luffy's stretched and vulnerable arm and tightened, the thorns digging into Luffy's skin. Roaring, Valier tugged his whips back.

"AAAGHHHH!" Luffy screeched, as he was sent flying into the air, before crashing back onto the ground.

"LUFFY!" Sakura raised her hands, ready to do something, anything, to help out Luffy. Before she could however, Luffy staggered upright, clutching his arms.

"A little crash can't stop me from kicking your ass, Vader!" he yelled defiantly. Valier gritted his teeth.

"It's Valier, godammit! Let's see how cocky you are when I shred your arms up," he snarled, "Prickly Strike!" He lashed out his left whip, but Luffy ducked underneath and darted forward.

"Gomu Gomu no...Bullet!"

It went on and on. Sakura watched as Luffy and Valier traded attacks, sometimes hitting, sometimes missing. Surprisingly, Luffy seemed to be holding his own. Valier, whom she thought to be incredibly strong, looked extremely frustrated.

"What...the hell?" she murmured. Never had she even thought of the possibility of Luffy being such a strong fighter. After several minutes of continuous fighting, both men sprung back. Blood dripped down Valier's whips and his face was covered with bruises. Luffy panted, his fists tightly clenched despite the numerous cuts on his hands and arms.

"I'm..gonna...kick..your ass," Luffy gasped, struggling to regain his breath.

"Pirate scum like you couldn't possibly go up against a marine commander like me," Valier growled, struggling to maintain steady footing. With a yell, he leapt forward, his whips flying behind him.

"I fight for justice! For the good of mankind!" Valier roared, "And you fight for a sneaky little brat who has deceived and hidden in the shadows her whole life! Someone who will continue to do so for as long as she lives! Who has the better reason to fight here!?" He swung his whips forwards, both of them aimed directly at Luffy, who did nothing to dodge them.

"Fatal Slash!"

Sakura watched in horror as Luffy stood rooted to his spot, not even trying to move out of harm's way.

It happened in a instant. As Valier's whips lashed out, Luffy raised his arms, his hands open, and caught both whips, preventing Valier from retracting them. Sakura stared at the standstill, the whips taut between the grips of the two men.

"Don't talk about Sakura that way!" Luffy screamed.

"Let...go!" Valier roared, but to no avail. Luffy stayed rooted to the spot, stubbornly holding on to the whips despite the thorns digging into his hands.

"What she has done before has no say in what she will do tomorrow, or in a year, or in ten years!" Luffy screamed, "Her past does not decide her future!"

Luffy whipped his head around to face Sakura, who had been crouching right behind him. "I don't care what you've done before," he yelled, looking directly at her, "It's what you choose to do now that matters!"

Sakura stared back. She thought about the night when her life shattered, and she entered a world of nightmares. She thought of all the suffering and pain she had gone through, the blame and anger she had for herself for everything. The hopelessness and defeat when she couldn't find the will to live. It had been years, and not a day had gone by she didn't beat herself up. She thought about it all, and suddenly, the pain and suffering within her morphed into something different, an emotion she had refused to let herself feel for seven long years. Hope. The possibility of a new start.

* * *

_An hour ago~_

"Stop, Sakura," Raoul ordered. Sakura was tempted to ignore him, but there was a new authority in his voice that made her pause and turn around.

With only a few feet between them, Raoul and Sakura faced each other, and tension filled the room.

"What are you gonna' do?" Raoul asked, his eyebrows raised. Sakura turned her head, unwilling to look him in the eye.

"Mind your own business, old man," she replied curtly. Raoul chuckled.

"I'm the closest thing you've had to a guardian all these years. Don't you think I deserve to know a little?"

Sakura clenched her fists. "You're a friend and that's it. I've been taking care of myself and that's what I'll continue to do."

"Cut the crap," Raoul said brusquely, "You would have been dead if it hadn't been for me. I'll rephrase my question. See if it's easier to answer. What are you gonna' do after you help out the Straw Hats?"

"That's my problem and I'll take care of it myself," Sakura growled as she headed for the doorway.

"Are you gonna' stab them in the back and rob them? It won't be the first time you've done that to some pirates."

"Shut up…"

"Are you gonna' see them off with a tearful goodbye and go back to living how you always do?"

"I said shut up…"

"Do you plan on living your life as a street rat, stealing and spying in this little town like a little sneak?"

"I SAID SHUT UP, YOU GIANT YAM!" Sakura roared, turning around and staring daggers at Raoul, who looked calmly back at her, "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!"

Raoul watched as she leaned against the wall for support, her whole body uncontrollably shaking. "You're holding yourself back, like always," he said softly, "Why can't you listen to what your heart wants?"

"Stop..pretending...that you know..what I want," Sakura hissed, a tremor in her voice. Raoul moved until he stood side by side with Sakura.

"I've watched you grow up for the past seven years," he said, staring at the ceiling, "I've see the hate you have for yourself. Not a day has gone by where you don't remember your past and blame yourself."

Sakura said nothing.

"I know you want more than this," Raoul continued, "You were born for adventure, Sakura. Your very dream is to explore the world for your sister, not to sit and listen to conversations in a town for the rest of your life. Yet, you hold back because you're afraid, don't you? The sea has brought nothing but pain to your life. You fear that by going out, you will inflict even more damage to yourself and to the lives of others, just as you had done seven years ago. Am I correct?"

Sakura conitinued to remain silent. Raoul gently placed his hand on her shoulder, a kind smile on his lips.

"You have done terrible things in the past, nobody can deny it," Raoul said, "But you can't let that rule your life. The only thing you can do now and go forth and change the future. Rise above your past, and prove that you aren't a killer like you think, Minori Sakura. What do you say to that?"

Sakura stared at her shoes. "I'm gonna' go on a little trip," she said slowly, "It'll be a long one, but...that's what I'll do."

Raoul chuckled. "Then go, and create your destiny."

Sakura took a long look at Raoul, a multitude of emotions showing in her eyes. With a nod, she exited the bar. Raoul leaned against the wall, chuckling.

"You took your stuff with you," he murmured, "You wanted to go with them all along, haven't you?" He looked at the bar entranceway, a soft smile on his face, "I suppose those kids will be your greatest help to taking your first steps forward."

* * *

Sakura rose to her feet, the palm of her hand glowing with a radiant pink light. She locked on to the memories of life that made it worth living and moving forward. The glow of Keri's smile. Secret winks with Garu behind the bar. Cautious but friendly exchanges with Raoul. And….the pure and simple happiness she had experienced with the Straw Hats.

"I can't change my past," she murmured, "but I can change my future. With this." Sakura sprinted forward, a brilliant ball of energy on her left palm. She leaped into the air as Luffy wrenched the whips back, sending Valier flying straight forward. With the weight of her pain, suffering, hope, and love behind her, Sakura struck.

"Love's Suffering!" The ball of energy on her palm crashed straight into Valier's head. She continued to press on, releasing her rage into the attack. Valier slammed onto the ground, cracking the pavement. A whirlwind of pain erupted within him. Valier could feel such large amounts of anger, regret, and loss swirl within his chest. It was worse than any physical pain he had felt. He could feel his own emotions being called forward, and his mind slowly shredding apart from how overwhelming it all was.

 _I..I can't be defeated by mere emotions!_ He thought angrily, before blacking out.

Sakura spun in midair to land in a sprawling mess a few feet away. Luffy, who had been blown back by the impact force, managed to stagger to his feet. The two of them peered down at Valier, who was stuck into the pavement, completely unconscious.

"Nice work, Sakura!" Luffy cheered.

"I had fun," she said softly.

"Huh?"

"Being with you guys. It was annoying...and frustrating...but it was different. Exciting," she continued, "And it made me...I guess...want to move forward. Keep doing more. I...haven't felt that way...in a long time, really."

Luffy grinned. "Really? Then you should join my crew! We're going to the Grand Line!"

Sakura stared back at him. To become a pirate? She had already told Raoul she would, but to actually be the thing she had hated most?

"Impressive."

Sakura and Luffy whirled around to see Smoker, who had been sitting some distance away, smoking his cigars. "To think that you brats were strong enough to defeat Valier. Quite impressive."

Luffy cracked his knuckles and took a fighting stance. "Yosh, you're up. Sakura got to beat the Valor guy's ass so you're definitely mine!" he declared.

"Don't get cocky just because you took out Valier. You'll find that I'm a much more difficult opponent," Smoker replied as he slowly got to his feet. Sakura raised her hands, a determined expression on her face.

"Luffy might not be able to hit you, but I certainly can, even with your Logia power," she warned. Smoker grinned around his cigars, his fists morphing into smoke.

"If you two can't best me, you stand no chance in the Grand Line," he threatened, before charging straight at at them. Sakura concentrated her emotions and let them loose.

"Love Shield!" A giant wall of energy sprouted from her palm, shielding her and Luffy. Smoker continued his charge.

"If you hide behind your Devil Fruit, I'll just defeat you by endurance," he growled as he smashed full force into Sakura's shield. Sakura resisted the urge to scream as pain blossomed throughout her body.

 _I can do this. It'll be fine_ she thought reassuringly to herself. Beside her, Luffy gritted his teeth.

"Let me at him, Sakura!" he yelled. Sakura furiously shook her head.

"I'm the only one here who can face up to him," she said, her hands shaking from exertion. She released the shield and leapt forward.

"Love Flare!" The energy in her hand flew forward, but Smoker darted out of the way. They stood, sizing each other up.

"You rely on your devil fruit for power," Smoker noted.

"I don't see why that's important," Sakura retorted.

"Can I kick his ass now?"

"No, Luffy, stay out of this."

Sakura watched as Smoker unstrapped something from his back. It looked like a narrow metal rod with an extra fork sprouting from the handle. A jitte. Strange, after so much time spying on him, Sakura had never actually seen Smoker use the weapon, and she didn't like the feeling of not knowing her enemy's secrets. Screwing her eyes in concentration, she created huge shield between Smoker and her. To her surprise, Smoker smiled grimly.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Luffy," Sakura murmured as she continued to eye the jitte.

"Huh?" was all she got in response. Great. With an almost alarming speed Smoker gripped his weapon and sent the tip straight into her shield. Sakura gasped. Instantly, her legs felt like jelly and her mind became muddled. With a cry, she was forced to dissolve the shield, and Smoker's jitte slammed into her chest, smashing her so hard into the ground that the road cracked.

 _How the hell did that little thing do that?!_ she thought. She had been able to withstand much stronger things in the past without breaking her concentration and shield. Why had the jitte been able to break through so easily?

"SAKURA!" Luffy screamed, as he moved to aid her. Smoker flicked his arm out, and a plume of white smoke smothered Luffy's body, preventing him from getting closer.

"I'll deal with you later, Straw Hat," Smoker growled.

Sakura's limbs felt like noodles and her head spun in circles. She was vaguely aware of Luffy screaming out curses a few feet away, and could feel the jitte pressed against her. Oddly, it almost felt like the weapon was sapping her strength away. She could just make out Smoker towering over her, calmly continuing to smoke his cigars, and let out a weak cry when he put his foot on her stomach, preventing her from moving.

"Funny. It was Valier who seemed to make it his top priority to kill you. I've always viewed you as just a troublesome nuisance," he growled, "But your support for Straw Hat makes you a threat. Any last words, brat?"

"HOLD UP, SAKURA, I'M GONNA BEAT HIS ASS AS SOON AS I GET OUT! WE'RE GOING TO THE GRAND LINE NO MATTER WHAT!" Luffy screeched, his limbs flailing around in the smoke.

Despite the pain and weakness in her body, Sakura managed to crack a smile.

"Go to hell, Smokey," she croaked out, satisfied when she got a scowl from him in response. She watched as he raised his jitte, and tried desperately to call on her powers. All she got in response a twitch in her finger. Super.

 _I refuse to die from this shit!_ She thought angrily, screwing her eyes shut and bracing herself for the jitte's impact.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

 _Huh?_ Sakura slowly opened her eyes to see the tip of the jitte hovering only inches away from her wide eyes. She slowly lifted her gaze to see two different hands grasping the handle of the weapon. One belonged to Smoker, who seemed both shocked and annoyed, judging from his frown. The other belonged to a cloaked figure who hadn't been there seconds before. Sakura stared up with wide eyes. As a flash of lightning lit up the dark street, she could easily see the face of the stranger. It was the man from before who had given her directions. Even Luffy had gone silent, completely confused by the present events.

"The government wants your head," she heard Smoker growl. The cloaked figure smiled grimly.

"The world is waiting for our answer," he replied. _What's that supposed to mean? Who is he, anyway?_ Sakura thought, completely vexed.

"Who're you?" Luffy asked, his curiosity temporarily stopping his struggling.

Suddenly, the heavy downpour ceased, and the raging storm quieted down. Sakura watched in confusion as the sky became tinged with a bright green, and a huge wind came howling down. She was swept away from underneath Smoker's feet and crashed straight into Luffy, who had somehow escaped the confines of Smoker's devil fruit power.

"WHAT KINDA' FREAK STORM IS THIS?!" she screamed as she desperately clung on to him to prevent separation.

"Urghhh blrughhhghh aghhh," Luffy choked out, unable to breathe with Sakura's arm wrapped around his neck.

They flew through the air, narrowly avoiding a barrage of barrels and scraps, and slamming into a good number of walls. Then, as quickly as it had started, the wind died down, sending the two flying into a heap of trash cans.

"Somebody get a scientist to explain that," Sakura moaned as she shoved a trash can cover off her head.

"Shi-shi-shi...That was fun!" Luffy exclaimed, excitedly springing up from his crash landing. The rain had started again, and pretty soon, the two of them were soaked to the bone.

"Who was that guy in the cloak?" Sakura wondered aloud, "Was he the one who caused that wind or something? That was too much of a coincidence."

"Hmmm…..dunno!" Luffy exclaimed, "But somehow we got away from that smoke guy…"

"Guess we gotta' thank that cloaked dude for saving our lives."

"Meh...I could've just kicked the smokey man's ass."

"Shut up, Luffy."

"Hai, Hai."

Sakura looked around. The heavy wind had blown the town into disarray, and random pieces of rubble and wood littered the street. However, only a few feet, clear as day, was the rough, churning ocean.

"This has got to be a miracle," Sakura muttered, "Oi, Luffy! We landed right at the harbor!"

"Cool!" Luffy yelled as he ran towards the ocean. Sakura watched as he peered through the heavy rain. "There's my ship! Over there!"

Sakura could hear faint calls from Luffy's crew over the storm. So they had all made it back safely, huh? She smiled softly. "You better hurry before they drift too far away."

Luffy turned around to face her. "Me? Don't you mean we?"

At a loss for words, Sakura stared at him with an open mouth.

"You really meant everything you said back there?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

Luffy snickered. "Of course! C'mon, join my crew!" His face suddenly became a little more serious, though the smile still remained. "If you really want to change your future like you said..."

Sakura stared back. A chance to move forward. It was a luxury she had never let herself have, believing herself to be unworthy of such a dream. She had had so many fears of returning to the ocean, and so many doubts about herself and whether she was more than what her past showed her to be.

 _Prove to the world that you are not a cowardly killer like you believe. Rise above your past, and start anew, Minori Sakura._ Raoul's words echoed in her head. If she really could...

With a deep breath, Sakura stepped forward, a smile on her face.

"All right...Captain," she said, an unusual strength in her voice.

Luffy chuckled. "Yosh! Let's go, then!"

"But how are we-"

"Got it!" To Sakura's surprise, Luffy ran to the side, heading further away from the ship.

"What are you-" Sakura began, fear in her voice.

"GOMU GOMU NO….." Luffy leapt and grabbed onto a broken stairwell handle. His body continued flying forward why his arms stretched. Realization of his plan dawned on Sakura.

"Wait...you aren't going to...?" she stammered nervously.

"ROCKET!" Luffy shot back, slamming straight into Sakura.

"MMMMPPPHHHHHH!" she yelled, her face completely buried into Luffy's shirt. They sailed over the ocean and smashed into the ship's sails, before falling down into a clumsy heap. So much for an epic entrance.

"Luffy! ...And Sakura!?" Nami cried.

"Yo…" Sakura managed to choke out.

"You...Oi Luffy! What is she doing here!" Zoro yelled.

 _Nice to see you, too_ Sakura thought.

"Shi-shi-shi! Guys, meet our new crewmate!"

"CREWMATE?!"

"Nice reaction," Sakura muttered sarcastically.

"Oh, my dear Sakura-chan! To be blessed with another female in our crew!" Sanji twirled around her, making her feel awkward and slightly violated.

"Oi, ease up, Pervy Cook."

"What did you say, mossball?!"

"Oi, you two idiots. Shut up," Nami ordered before turning to Sakura and smirking, "And it's nothing too surprising. I...kinda' expected it."

Sakura wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing.

Oh well.

* * *

"Why did you help them, Dragon?!"

The hooded figure slowly turned to face the marine captain before resuming his gaze to the sea.

"What reason is there to stop them from sailing the seas?" he asked. Both Smoker and Dragon watched the small pirate ship sail further into the horizon. A mass of injured marines stood behind Smoker, unsure of what to say or do.

"Get me a ship. I'm going after them. That Straw Hat and that brat, Sakura. To the Grand Line" Smoker ordered to a nearby marine. The soldier hesitated.

"B-but Captain! Your jurisdiction is on this island!" he protested weakly.

"Are you trying to order me around?" Smoker growled, "And the brat came from Loguetown. It is my job to ensure that she is captured."

"I will go, too!" Tachigi emerged from the mass of soldiers, tightly grasping her katana, "What Roronoa did to me is unforgivable! I will capture him with my own hands!"

Dragon stood silently, listening in to their conversation.

The wind howled, and lightning flashed.

* * *

"Woah! It feels like the ship is gonna' turn over!"

Sakura clung tightly to the ship railing, sweating despite the cold air when she heard Luffy's declaration. It had been less than two minutes, and she was already wondering if she made the right decision. Despite that, the others seemed surprisingly calm and accepting about it. Well, there was one minor exception...

"Already scared, chibi?!" Zoro taunted. Sakura glared back at him.

"Call me that again and I'll slice you through with your own katana," she retorted.

"Ah! Sakura-chan is so lovely when she's so fired up!" Sanji cooed.

"I'm definitely scared! Sakura, help me!" Usopp wailed. Nami pointed off into the distance.

"Look at the light!" she cried.

"The island's lighthouse?" Usopp yelled back.

"That's our guiding light," Nami continued, "It points to the entrance of the Grand Line!"

"The Grand Line, huh?" Sakura muttered, "That'll be the perfect start for me!"

"But are we really gonna' go in that storm?" Usopp cried as he clung to the mast. The grins and nods from the rest of the crew unfortunately reassured him that they would.

"Let's have a launching ceremony to mark the importance of our voyage and celebrate our new nakama!" Luffy declared, pumping his arms above his head.

"Let's do it!" Nami agreed as she grabbed Sakura's wrist, "C'mon Sakura! This is for you after all!"

Zoro rolled out a huge barrel and set it in the middle of the ship. The crew gathered around it, though Sakura wasn't quite sure what they were planning to do. She watched as Sanji strode forward and set his leg on the top of the barrel.

"To find All Blue!" he declared. So they were declaring their dream or something? Interesting...

"To become the Pirate King!" Luffy cried as he stuck his foot on top of the barrel.

"To be the greatest swordsman!" Zoro said, a grin on his face as he followed Luffy and Sanji's action.

"To draw a map of the world!" Nami added in as she placed her foot across from Zoro's.

Usopp hesitated. "Uh..I-I'm uhh…." he stammered, "To be a great warrior of the seas!"

They turned to look at Sakura, the last crew member. With a confidence she never experienced before, she walked forward, her hand brushing against her necklaces.

"To show my sister the world!" she cried out, almost like a challenge. The crew grinned at each other, envisioning the times to come.

"LET'S GO TO THE GRAND LINE!" Luffy declared. With a yell of approval, the crew lifted their legs and smashed the barrel, reducing it to an explosion of splinters and water. Sakura let out a laugh of sheer joy.

"Welcome to the crew, Sakura!" Nami called out. Sakura gently gripped the her necklace charms, and a small smile spread across her face.

"Sa-chan…" she murmured, "You can call me Sa-chan...if you want."

Usopp and Nami gaped at her while Sanji twirled around in circles screaming, "SA-CHWAAANN!"

"Is it really ok?" Usopp asked, nervously eyeing her, "I mean...well..you know." Sakura raised an eyebrow. Were they scared because of how she had reacted before? Or was it...no...Raoul couldn't have..

"What exactly did you talk about with Raoul when I was out scouting?" she asked, suspicion in her voice.

"Nothing!" Nami and Usopp cried out. One look at their nervous faces was all Sakura needed. She shook her head in mock disappointment and smiled.

"Of course the old man would tell you," she muttered, though her light tone showed that she wasn't angry. She smiled softly at the crew, "It's true that that name is connected to some bad stuff in my past." Everybody but Nami and Usopp looked curiously at her.

Sakura glanced at Luffy, who grinned right back at her. "Though I've been told more than enough times today," she continued, "That I shouldn't let my past have a say in my future."

Nami and Usopp looked at each other before turning back to Sakura. "Well then, Sa-chan it is!" Usopp boldly declared.

"Whatever, you're still just a chibi to me," Zoro said, earning a glare from Sakura.

"SA-CHWAANNNN! OH, I'M OVERJOYED SA-CHWAANN!" Sanji cried out.

Luffy chuckled. "Welcome to the crew, Sa!"

Sakura gently brushed her fingers over her necklace charms, a smile on her face.

A new start. Yeah, that was exactly what she needed.

"TO THE GRAND LINE!"


	9. Bad Beginnings

"Look out below!"

Sakura looked up from her sketching just in time to see a whooping Luffy and screeching Usopp falling straight towards her. With a yelp, she rolled out of the way, and the two misfits crashed down only a few feet away from her stuff. Sakura watched as Usopp staggered to his feet and smacked Luffy's head.

"Oi! What kind of monster decides the best way to get out of the crow's nest is to jump straight down?!" he cried indignantly "You almost killed Sakura and me!"

Luffy chuckled. "Ah, my bad, Sa!"

"WHAT ABOUT ME, YOU IDIOT!?" Usopp roared.

Sakura laughed and gathered her stuff. "It's fine, Luffy. I'm not hurt."

"But Sa-chan! I'm very hurt!" Usopp complained. Sakura grinned and stuck her tongue out at him.

It had been about a day since she had officially joined the Straw Hats, but she was already slowly getting used to the ruckus. There had been several incidents where she almost wanted to bang her head against the mast over how idiotic the crew was, as well as multiple near-fights with a certain green-haired swordsman. At the same time though, it was definitely a lot more exciting than her life back at Loguetown.

"Hey, hey, Sa! Let's go fishing!" Luffy yelled as he smooshed Usopp's face into the ground with his palm.

"Fishing..?" Sakura echoed, confusion on her face. Usopp jerked his head up from the deck to look at her.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of fishing before?" he asked, aghast.

Sakura quickly scoffed to cover up her mistake. "I grew up in Loguetown. What kind of spy would I be if I've never watched the fishermen do their jobs? I happen to be great at...fishing, you know."

Well...

In truth, Sakura had never held a fishing pole in her life, and while she had observed the people of Loguetown, she herself had no clue how to actually fish. Sakura watched nervously as Luffy and Usopp ran off whooping, reappearing a few seconds later with supplies.

"How hard can it be?" she muttered as she snatched up a rod and marched over to the side of the ship, "I've watched all those old geezers at the fish market loads of times. This'll be a piece of cake."

"Umm...Sa-chan, I think-"

"Shut up, Usopp, I got this. I told you, I'm an expert at fishing!" Sakura yelled back. She pictured the fishermen of Loguetown in her mind and with a grunt, wildly swung the fishing line behind her.

"Wait, Sakura, you got the hook stuck-"

"Alright, here I go!" she yelled.

"Hold up! Wait! SAKURA!"

With a mighty roar of determination, Sakura pulled on the fishing rod and swung the line forward.

 _Huh. Why's it so heavy?_ She thought. It was taking a considerable amount of strength to pull on the fishing pole. Undeterred, Sakura tugged harder, putting all her weight into heaving the line forward. She watched triumphantly as the long fishing line sailed forward into the ocean…with a screaming Usopp stuck to the line's hook.

"GYAAAAAHHH!" The sniper screeched as he was launched straight into the water. Sakura let out a screech of surprise and promptly dropped the fishing pole, which slid over the ship railing and fell with a splash into the ocean alongside Usopp.

"Usopp! Don't worry! I'll go get somebody that can swim!" she yelled out.

"I'M COMING, USOPP!" Luffy screamed as he charged straight over the ship railing and leapt into the water.

"You're a hammer, you stupid donut!" Sakura screeched. She watched as Usopp dived under and resurfaced with a flailing Luffy.

"I'm gonna' kill you for this, Sakura!" he yelled.

"Uh, sorry?" Was all she managed to say back. She quickly looked around the deck and spotted Zoro napping in the corner of the ship. With no time to lose, Sakura sprinted over and dragged him back by his shirt, rudely waking him up.

"What the-? Let go of me, you demented hag!" he choked out. Sakura hurriedly pointed over the railing.

"Luffy and Usopp are in the ocean. You needa' get them out," she ordered. Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"And how did those two end up there, chibi?" he asked.

Sakura grinned nervously. "...Fishing?"

"Help us, Zoro-kun!" Usopp pleaded from the water.

Zoro let out a sigh of defeat. "I'm not even gonna' ask."

* * *

"I told you I was sorry!"

"I was trying to warn you the whole time that your fishing hook got stuck on my clothes! And who fishes without bait, anyway?!"

Sakura huffed with frustration and smushed her cheek on the table. The crew was huddled in the indoor lounge area, with everybody but Usopp and Sakura laughing from the past incident. Even Zoro couldn't resist chuckling at their antics. Sakura wasn't used to being humiliated, and she wasn't taking everybody's reactions kindly.

"It's not like this type of stuff doesn't happen all the time," Nami reassured Sakura, who felt like she was burning up with embarrassment, "Don't mind them."

"Perhaps a drink or snack to cheer up, Sa-chan?" Sanji offered kindly.

"I'm good, thanks Sanji," Sakura muttered darkly.

Luffy laughed, his hands clapping above his head. "You're really funny, Sakura!"

"Something finally knocks the chibi's ego down a notch," Zoro added, a smirk on his face.

"Call me chibi again and I'll kill you, kiwi brain!" Sakura warned.

"You bastards shut the hell up about Sa-chan!" Sanji yelled at the same time. Sakura wanted to bury her head into a hole and hide.

_*BAM BAM BAM*_

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji all fell back, lumps already forming on their heads, courtesy of Nami's fists.

"Stop making such a racket, you three," she growled before turning to Sakura, "Why don't we go outside, Sa-chan? You can help me prune my tangerine trees."

"No thanks," Sakura groaned as she rose to her feet, "I think I'll sit and draw." Or bang her head against the ship mast. Whatever made her feel better.

"Make sure not to throw anybody overboard on accident again!" Zoro called out. Sakura slowly turned, and her expression was enough to make everybody shiver with fear.

"Thanks for the advice," she growled, before exiting. The door slammed shut with a bang.

"The ship's gonna' blow up from one of your fights one day," Nami murmured with a sigh.

Zoro simply grinned. "It's funny to watch her get so riled up."

* * *

"FIRE! SANJI! SOMEBODY! FIREEEE!"

Sanji sprung up from his hammock, his sleepy eyes immediately turning alert. The cries of a lady could be heard coming from above. It was something he definitely couldn't ignore. Without hesitation, he sped up the ladder, exited the guy's sleeping quarters, and raced across the deck, before covering his mouth to stifle a scream of surprise.

The dark skies hinted at it being sometime in the middle of the night, but a soft orange glow could be seen radiating from the kitchen. It could only mean one thing. Fire.

Sanji burst into the ship lounge, ready to beat up whatever asshole had the nerve to set his precious kitchen on fire, only to find a burning pot on the stove and Sakura cowering under the table a few feet away.

Wasting no time, Sanji turned the stove gas off and used a wet towel to move the burnt pot into the sink and beat out the remaining flames.

"It's ok, Sa-chan. Just a small flame. Nothing serious," he called out.

"Did I damage anything?" Sakura asked softly. Despite Sanji's reassurance, she glared distrustfully at the stove.

Sanji crouched down next to Sakura and smiled. "Only a pot. It's the middle of the night, though. What were you doing in here that caused the stove to catch fire?"

Sakura scowled, her hands absentmindedly tugging on her bangs. "I felt bad about throwing Usopp overboard and almost drowning Luffy, so I was trying to cook something for them. That's what friends do right?"

"Those idiots get themselves into trouble all the time, Sa-chan," Sanji chuckled.

"Still wanted to do something to apologize," Sakura muttered as she stared ruefully at the ruined pot and blackened stove. "I used to cook a lot when I was little. Guess I forgot everything, huh?"

"It's not too late to learn again," the cook replied lightly as he rose to his feet, "Why don't we wait until tomorrow morning and I'll teach you to cook whatever you want?"

Sakura furiously shook her head. "I'm not tired. Let's start now."

Sanji raised his eyebrows, slightly amazed at her determined attitude. "Alright, what were you planning to make?"

Sakura managed a faint smile. "Umm...some kind of cake?"

Sanji stared at the pot in the sink. How did she set a pot on fire while making a cake?

"Well umm," he replied slowly, "I guess we have some work to do."

* * *

"Bon appetit, guys! We're having cake for breakfast!" Sakura announced as she placed two dishes down on the table. One held a simple, but beautiful cake, with chocolate icing and delicately arranged pieces of fruit. The other held what vaguely represented a large brown brick, with some roughly chopped strawberries thrown on top. Sanji and Sakura had worked all night on them, and she was quite proud of her achievements.

"Sa-chan worked hard on hers, so dig in! I don't want to see any crumbs left over!" Sanji added. The crew crowded around the cakes.

"Oh yeah, Sanji," Usopp said, "I thought I heard somebody yelling last night. Was it you or something?"

"You probably had a nightmare! Nothing happened!" Sanji and Sakura both quickly replied, earning raised eyebrows from everybody except Luffy, who was too busy ogling the cakes to listen.

"Didn't know the chibi was such a great chef," Zoro said, ignoring the death glares from Sakura, "This cake doesn't look too bad."

"How pretty!" Nami exclaimed.

"And it looks delicious!" Luffy chimed in.

"So what's that thing over there?" Usopp asked, gesturing towards the brown brick.

Sakura frowned in puzzlement. "That's….the cake I made?"

Everybody in the crew looked at each other in confusion.

"Did...you not make this one?" Nami asked, pointing at the beautifully made cake.

"Umm...actually...Sanji made that one," Sakura slowly replied.

Zoro peered down at the brown block. "It looks...like a mud block. Is this really a cake?"

"You got a problem with Sa-chan's cooking?" Sanji asked angrily.

"Food is food, Zoro. And cake is always yummy!" Luffy said happily as he broke off a chunk with a fork and shoved it into his mouth.

"...Why is there a crunching noise every time you chew?" Usopp asked, fear on his face.

Before anybody could say more, the sound of breaking glass was heard. The crew's heads turned to see Sakura and a shattered cup at her feet. Without another word, she stormed out of the room.

"What did I say?" Usopp asked, earning a kick in the head from Sanji.

"Sa-chan worked all through the night to make that cake, and this is your reaction?" the cook growled angrily.

Zoro picked the cake up with one hand. It somehow managed to stay intact as a single brick. "You have to admit though, it's amazing that this thing could even be edible," he muttered.

"That's not the point, you idiot! She put her heart and soul into it, and all you did was embarrass her!" Sanji roared.

"It doesn't taste bad either," Luffy chimed in as he continued to chew loudly on a mouthful of cake.

Nami sighed in defeat. "Sanji-kun's right. I'll go talk to her. She'll listen to me." She then proceeded to punch Zoro's head. "And you, Mr. Cold Swordsman, should figure out a way to apologize."

The crew nodded in agreement, though Zoro scowled, obviously annoyed.

"It's her fault for taking everything so seriously," he muttered. One glare from Nami however, was enough for the swordsman to bow his head and mutter his acceptance of the task.

* * *

She found the spy sitting alone on the Merry figurehead. With a sigh, Nami slowly walked forward.

"Oi, Sa-chan, Luffy finished all your cake," she called out.

"Leave me alone."

"I don't recall sulking as one of your favorite hobbies," Nami responded lightly. It took a few seconds before Sakura turned around. Frustration could be clearly seen on her face. Nami smiled softly.

"Look, I'm really sorry for how everybody responded-" she began.

"Do I really belong here?" Sakura interrupted. Nami looked at her in confusion. The spy had risen to her feet and was staring at the horizon.

"I haven't been much of a help," Sakura continued, "I get into fights all the time with Zoro. I set the kitchen on fire last night trying to cook. Hell, Usopp and Luffy both ended up going overboard all because I pretended to know how to fish. Maybe I'm just not cut out for making friends."

Nami raised an eyebrow. So this was what had been bothering Sakura.

"Sa-chan, get off Merry's head and come here so I can talk to you for real," she ordered. Reluctantly, Sakura obeyed.

"Tell me everything you know about the crew," Nami continued, ignoring when Sakura frowned in confusion, "Just do it."

Sakura wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she complied. "The Straw Hat pirates, with Luffy as the captain with a bounty of 30 million berries. He is usually seen wearing a red vest, worn shorts, and a straw hat rumored to have been given to him by the great pirate Shanks. Along with him is the "Pirate Hunter" Zoro, who wants to be the strongest swordsman in the world. He practices the sword style of Santoryuu, wears three gold earrings, and likes onigiri…."

On and on Sakura went, wildly spouting information, both widely known facts and small secrets. The whole time, Nami watched her, a small smile on her lips.

"Alright, that's enough," she cut in, just as Sakura was starting to talk about their shower habits, "Let me tell you something, Sakura. You've been with us for three days at most, and you probably already know everything there is to know about our habits, descriptions, whatever."

"I don't really see the point," Sakura replied slowly.

"The point is," Nami continued, "You aren't a cook or a fisherman. You're a spy. You know more about blending in with the crowd and gathering information than anybody here. That's why Luffy asked you to join the crew."

"But none of that matters if I'm not a good nakama!" Sakura protested.

Nami scoffed. "Who says you're not a great nakama? We all annoy each other here from time to time. Don't worry about it so much."

"Luffy wouldn't have asked you to join us if he didn't want you here," she continued, placing her hand on Sakura's shoulder, "Have faith in us. Have faith in yourself."

With soft smiles on their faces, the two women walked back into the ship lounge.

"NAMI-SWAN! SA-CHWAN! I saved you plenty of breakfast, my lovely ladies!" Sanji called out gleefully, as the pair entered. Sakura slowly scanned the room, taking in an arguing Luffy and Usopp, a twirling Sanji, and her missing cake. Judging from the crumbs on Luffy's shirt, Nami had been right about him eating it all. She grinned.

"I guess I am pretty hungry!" she declared, moving to take a seat next to Zoro. Sanji placed a plate heaped with food in front of her, and with a nod of approval from Nami, Sakura dug in.

"Oi, chibi," Sakura looked up to see a rabidly reddening Zoro.

"About before...I guess I'm sorry," he muttered. Sakura grinned around her mouthful of toast.

"Friends forgive each other, right?" she replied. Zoro scowled but nodded in acknowledgement.

Sakura turned back to her breakfast. "Though, I won't forgive you for calling me chibi. So shut up, you big rice ball."


	10. Don't Break the Rudder. Just Don't

"It seems the entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain!" Nami declared as she slammed a worn map down onto the table.

"A mountain!?" the rest of the crew exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right," the navigator continued, "I first thought that it was impossible, too. But the place where Loguetown's guiding light is pointing to is Reverse Mountain, on the Red Line!"

After a large storm had broken out, the crew had been cooped up indoors for several days. To pass the time, they were discussing their future routes, though it was only Nami who had a full understanding of what was to come. Sakura peered over the map, studying the detailed lines and arrows. She wasn't really sure what she was supposed to be looking at.

"Sailing up a mountain," she mused, "You can do that?"

"There's a canal we can use," Nami said, pointing at a small line on the map, "Right here, see?"

"Don't be stupid," Usopp argued, "Even if there is a canal, there's no way that a ship can travel upwards on a mountain."

"But that's what the map says," Sakura replied, "We should follow maps right?"

"Great, listen to the wise words of a chibi. Makes sense," Zoro muttered.

"I told you to stop calling me that, you stupid rice ball!" Sakura growled. Would that jerk never listen?

"You got the balls to criticize our lovely spy!?" Sanji roared at the swordsman, causing them both to glare each other down.

"I can fight my own battles, Sanji! Shove it!" Sakura cried angrily.

"Use a ship to cross a mountain? Sounds interesting!" Luffy exclaimed, interrupting the trio's fight.

Nami sighed. What a peaceful bunch.

"Why even bother to use that entrance to get into the Grand Line?" Zoro asked, as he attempted to push Sanji's nagging foot away from his head, "If you head south, you can still enter, right?"

"No, Zoro! The coolest way to get onto the Grand Line is this way!" Luffy argued as he pointed at the map, before earning a smack from Nami.

"That's not the reason, you big idiot," she muttered, "But we do need to go through the main entrance. Sailing south would lead to even worse problems."

"Only Zoro could come up with such a stupid idea," Sakura said as she stuck her tongue out at the swordsman.

"I'm gonna' kill you one day, chibi!" he spat back.

"Bring it on, rice ball!"

"HEY! The storm died down!" Usopp announced, right as Sakura's hands lit up with a pink glow, and Zoro's hands balled into fists.

"You're right. It's so calm now," Sanji remarked, as he peered through the peephole.

"Calm?" Nami cried as she ran to Sanji's side. For some reason, she looked extremely shocked. "It can't be...no, we need to turn back now!"

"But it's such nice weather!" Luffy whined, as the rest of the crew swarmed out to gaze at the smooth ocean, "Hey, Sakura, Usopp, let's go fishing again!"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Usopp screeched. Sakura had a flashback of the sniper screaming as he was flung overboard and couldn't help but grin sheepishly.

 _But...a calm ocean..._ she mused. Those words struck a memory within her. Back then, at Garu's bar, hadn't there been a sailor who had talked about some kind of super calm ocean area? He had said something about…

"The Calm Belt," she murmured, "Are we on the Calm Belt? Is that what it's called?"

"Calm Belt? What's that?" Zoro asked.

Nami gave a sad nod of acknowledgement. "Where you end up if you travel south, like you said, Zoro."

"So the Grand Line?"

"NO, YOU IDIOT!"

Sakura frowned thoughtfully. "But the Calm Belt. Isn't it supposed to be full of.."

Before she could finish her sentence, the ship began to shake violently, and the Straw Hats all tumbled to their feet. Barrels and other odd bits rolled around the deck.

"An earthquake?" Luffy cried, as he struggled to steady himself.

"Don't be stupid! We're in the middle of the ocean!" Usopp yelled back.

"...Hey...what's that?" Sanji shakily pointed over the railing. The rest of the crew crowded around to take a look. What Sakura saw made her want to faint from sheer terror.

The whole ship was out of the water and balanced precariously on the snout of an enormous fish-like creature. Several more of the monsters surrounded them. The Going Merry was like an ant compared to the size of the strange creatures.

"…Sea Monsters?" Sakura croaked, finally managing to finish her sentence.

"SO HUGE!" the crew screamed.

"Start paddling once the monster dives!" Zoro ordered as he frantically lunged for an oar. For once, even Sakura agreed with him.

The monster suddenly began sniffing, much to the confusion of the crew. Sakura watched with wide eyes as it slowly opened its mouth, and let out the biggest sneeze she had ever heard.

"Ahhh...CHOOO!" The ship went flying forward into the air, along with its pirate inhabitants. Sakura got ripped onto the railing tightly with her legs, while struggling to hold on to a screeching Usopp by his ankle.

Luffy pointed back. "There's a giant frog thing coming towards us!"

"FROG?!" Usopp let out a very unmanly scream, and his wriggling caused him to slip out of Sakura's grasp, and start falling right into the mouth of the frog monster.

"Even a cabbage has more balls than you!" Sakura yelled. She reluctantly loosened her hold on the ship railing and free-falled until she was alongside Usopp. With a grunt, she grasped onto the back of his trousers with one hand, and aimed the other at the frog.

"Heavenly Sparks!"

Large sparks of energy shot out of her hand and attacked the frog. With a pained grunt, monster curved sideways, and splashed back into the water. Sakura felt an arm (Oh jeez, it was definitely Luffy's) wrap around her middle, and she shot backwards, landing with a yelp into the ship sails. Usopp's rear end smashed into her face a nanosecond later.

Why does this always happen to me? She thought sadly as she and the sniper slid down the sail and landed onto the wooden deck with a thump. The storm had started up again, meaning that they had been able to make it back out of the Calm Belt. Sakura managed to move her head around, and could see the rest of the crew sprawled out around her in exhaustion. Luffy's arm was still elongated, and his tongue hung out of his mouth as he panted for breath. In short, they were a big mess.

"So we'll never follow Zoro's suggestions, right?" the spy managed to sputter out.

"Agreed," the rest of the crew moaned, even Zoro. Suddenly, Nami sat up, her face lighting up with understanding.

"I get it now!" she cried out.

"What? The Calm Belt?" Usopp wheezed, "What's there to get about that place?"

"No, how the canal will work!" Nami replied. Sakura raised her eyebrows. Was this really the right time to figure that stuff out?

"If the waves from the four oceans head to Reverse Mountain, it'll create a stream," the navigator continued, "That stream will push the water up the canal, and when the water has reached the mountain's peak, it will push us into the Grand Line! We just need to figure out how to control the ship rudder. If we can't control our ship to the entrance, the currents will push us straight down to the seafloor and we'll sink."

"You tell us this all now?" Zoro groaned, as the rest of the crew staggered to their feet.

"I see...So it's a magic mountain right?" Luffy grinned.

"So smart, Nami-san!" Sanji crowed.

"Are they always like this?" Sakura muttered. Nami chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"Still, a ship climbing a mountain is unheard of," Zoro mused.

"But they say even getting to the Grand Line is very tough," Sanji chuckled, "So it's not like it'll be an easy job!"

Sakura peered into the fog. Despite the low visibility, she could make out what was almost like a huge mass in their path...

"Over there!" she cried as she ran to the railing and pointed into the mist, "I think I can see the mountain!"

"Is that the Red Line?!" Usopp asked, his eyes wide, "You can barely see anything through the fog!"

"Man the rudder! We're going up the magic mountain!" Luffy ordered. Both Sanji and Usopp hurried to comply.

"Am I dreaming or something?" Zoro muttered as he peered at the scene before him, "The stream is really going...up the canal?!"

"Wait! We're getting off course! If we don't turn more to the right, we'll crash!" Nami yelled.

"The rudder's not moving!" Usopp cried back, as he and Sanji desperately pushed.

"Let me help!" Sakura knew she wasn't all that strong, but she leapt forward and slammed against Usopp, putting in all her weight. The rudder seemed to comply just a bit, before…

*Snap!*

Everybody watched in shock as the top of the rudder broke off.

"WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU CHIBI?!" Zoro roared.

"...Sorry? And I told you to stop calling me that!" Sakura roared back.

"We're gonna' die!" Usopp wailed.

"The ship's going to crash into the gateway!" Nami screamed as tears of panic welled up in her eyes.

"Gomu Gomu noo…BALLOON!"

Sakura watched as Luffy leapt out of the ship and expanded into what looked like a rubber ball. Seconds later, the ship crashed straight into him, and she could see him struggling to hold his breath. However, the force of the impact as enough to send the ship bouncing sideways, straight into the canal pathway. With a yell, Zoro lunged over and grasped onto Luffy's hand, before pulling him back to the safety of the ship.

"We...made it..." Nami whispered, "WE'RE SAFE!"

"We're actually traveling up a mountain," Sanji remarked breathlessly while Usopp danced around laughing in delight.

"Unbelievable," Sakura agreed.

To everybody's delight, the ship quickly traveled uphill, and before long, they emerged from the stormy clouds into a bright and sunny sky. They were so high up, even the splashes of water coming from the canal quickly froze to ice. Sakura felt a grin erupt on her face as the ship cleared the top of the canal and leapt into the air, before plummeting straight back down.

"This is amazing!" she whispered, as her hands subconsciously wrapped around her necklace charms. She let a sheer cry of delight, basking in the sunlight that shone down on her. Below her was the Grand Line, the key to her dream! Finally, she was going to see the world, in all its glory and wonder!

Just you wait, Keri! I'm finally on my way! I'll show you everything this sea has to offer! There's nothing that can stop me now! She thought excitedly. The speed of the ship was increasing now as they continued their way down the mountain.

"The largest ocean in the sea!" Luffy cheered, "I can see it! The Grand Line!"

"BOOOOOOHHHH!"

Wait...was that...a horn?

"Guys, did you hear something?" Sakura called out.

"Who cares? Keep going!" Luffy yelled out.

"BOOOOOHHHH!" It was much louder now.

"Uh..Nami-san! I think there's a mountain blocking out way!" Sanji yelled.

"A mountain? There should only be open ocean at the bottom of Reverse Mountain!" Nami yelled back.

"BOOOOOHHH!"

"Do mountains make that kind of noise?" Sakura stammered out.

"That's not a mountain," Usopp screamed, "THAT'S A WHALE!"

Sakura thought Usopp was kidding around as usual, but as she squinted into the mist below, she realized he was right. The enormous wall-like thing in front of them was tinged a dark blue, and the edges of the whale's eyes could be seen towards the sides of the wall. Strangest of all, huge scratches and thick scars covered the top of the whale's nose.

"Are we supposed to fight it?" Luffy yelled.

"Don't be stupid! How the hell are we supposed to fight a giant whale!" Zoro retorted.

"But we can't get past with it blocking our way!" Usopp yelled.

"It sure looks like a wall, though," Sanji muttered, "You can barely see its eyes!"

"Let's try using the rudder! Maybe we can steer the ship to the side!" Sakura suggested.

"We can't! You broke our rudder, remember?!" Usopp wailed.

"Oh yeah..sorry about that."

"Wait, Sakura, can't you use your devil fruit shield thingy?" Luffy cried, "You can block our crash with that, right?"

"Crashing into a shield and crashing into a whale will kinda' do the same thing!" Sakura yelled back, "And the pain I receive from an impact like that will be enough to kill me!"

"Would do us all a favor."

"Shut up, rice ball!"

"Ahh, fiery Sa-chan is so marvellous!"

"Not helping, Sanju-kun!"

"We might as well do something!" Zoro growled as he ran inside, "Trying to use the rudder's our only chance!"

"Sanji and I will help with the rudder, too!" Usopp cried, with Sanji nodding in agreement behind him.

"Oh! I have another good idea!" Luffy declared.

"OI! What are you planning to do?" Nami screeched, but Luffy simple chuckled and dashed inside.

"MOVE RUDDER MOVE!" Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp all yelled as they frantically pushed on the broken rudder.

"It's not working!" Sakura yelled as they sailed closer and closer. She let her hands light up. "Should I try attacking it or something?"

"And anger it so that it kills us!?" Nami shrieked in reply.

Before either of the women could say more, a large boom could be heard coming from…directly beneath them? Sakura watched in complete shock as a cannonball shot out from the front of the ship and smashed into the whale. The resounding impact was so strong that she was knocked to her feet, and the ship's course began to slow down.

"C-c-cannon?!" the crew sputtered out.

"Hey, it worked! The ship's slowing down!" Luffy called out from below deck.

"Where does that guy get his ideas?" Sakura muttered underneath her breath. But, truth to be told, their pace was decreasing immensely. The ship was finally jolted to a halt by the Merry figurehead, which smacked into the side of the whale and snapped clean off. Sakura watched, her mouth wide open, as it flew back and landed a few inches away from Nami's head.

"I'm going to die here," the navigator murmured, her face pale white with fright. Sakura couldn't really argue with that, given the ongoing events.

"MY SPECIAL SEAT!" Luffy shrieked as he ran out from the ship's interior. Oh geez...

"This time it's not my fault!" Sakura quickly yelled out in defense.

"Guuuuuuu…" A large rumbling filled the air, and the crew turned to see the whale's eyes staring straight at them. Not good. Definitely bad.

"So...is now a good time to go?" Sakura asked.

"First smart thing I've heard you say all day," Zoro remarked. Sakura's mind was too busy blanking out to make a retort.

"Shouldn't the cannonball have hurt?" Usopp muttered, "Or is it just really stupid?"

"Now's not exactly the best time to find out," Sani slowly replied, "We need to get out. Now."

Everybody quickly seized an oar and began rowing with all their might. The whole time, the whale's rather annoying rumbling echoed all around them. Only Luffy seemed unperturbed by the noise, as he silently stood on the ship deck.

"Oi, Luffy, lend a hand so we can get out of here!" Usopp cried as he pulled the oar with Sanji.

To everybody's surprise, Luffy shot his hand back, as if to ready himself to deliver a punch. Sakura watched, aghast, as he lifted his head, and a murderous look filled his eyes.

"You destroyed...my special seat!" he growled out.

"And you're gonna' get us killed," Sakura muttered. Everybody could only watch with open mouths and teary eyes as Luffy sent a punch straight into the whale's eye.

"YOU IDIOT!" the crew choked out. Nami herself looked like she was ready to faint from terror. Everybody stood trembling as the whale's eye slowly shifted to look right at them.

"Come and get a piece of me, you stupid whale!" Luffy yelled out.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Usopp screamed as he and Sanji tackled their captain to the floor.

Sakura, Nami, and Zoro carefully watched the whale. What was it going to do?

They soon found out. With a resounding roar, the giant animal slowly opened its mouth, allowing the surrounding seawater to pour in. Unfortunately, flowing in with the mass of water was the Going Merry. Sakura could feel the boat tipping over as she gazed into the black depths of the whale's throat. She struggled to hold on to the railing of the ship. Falling from the ship would spell definite disaster.

"WE'RE GONNA' DIE!" Usopp screamed as he clung on to the ship mast.

"AGHHHHH!" Luffy screamed as he flew straight off the Merry, having never anchored himself down to anything. Without pausing to think, Sakura released her hold on the ship and turned to follow him. Before she could jump off however, Zoro grabbed a hold of her ankle and jerked her back, causing her to slam her head painfully into the wooden deck.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, chibi!?" he yelled, "Just because you got lucky with Usopp back at the Calm Belt doesn't mean you can go saving everybody now!"

Sakura ignored her throbbing head and steadied herself. With a cry, she slammed her free foot into Zoro's fist, forcing him to release her ankle.

"You can't abandon friends, right?!" she screamed back as she pushed off the ship, "And STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

Sakura dived through the air and smashed straight into Luffy, who screeched in reply. The force of her impact sent the pair of them flying sideways, straight onto the back of the whale. They lay there immobile, momentarily stunned from what had just happened.

"Blegh..you saved me. Thanks, Sa," Luffy croaked out as the two of them struggled to catch their breath.

"Don't say that so soon," Sakura moaned back as she studied their surroundings, "I think the whale just ate everybody."

"HUH?!"

They watched as the whale slowly closed its mouth with a grunt. Luffy let out a scream of anger and began desperately punching the whale's back.

"Let my friends out!" he screeched, "We have to travel together! It's very important, you stupid whale!"

"Umm..Luffy?" Sakura called out hesitantly, "I think...we're sinking."

"Planning to escape, aren't you?!" her captain continued to yell, "I'm not gonna' let you!"

Despite Luffy's pounding, the whale was indeed submerging into the ocean. Sakura looked around desperately. Unless they could find a way back to land and off the whale, there would be no hope left for the two Devil Fruit eaters.

A metallic glint caught her eye. Sakura turned to see a small metal door located about ten feet away on the surface of the whale's back.

A door.

On the whale's back.

Wait.

WHAT?


	11. A Promise to an Unforeseen Friend

"Oi Sa, where are weeee?"

"For the sixth time, I'm not that sure, you bagel!"

The pair continued to creep through the winding, metal hallway, ready to respond any possible sign of danger. Well, Sakura was at least. Luffy chose to trail behind, unconsciously doing a mixture of scratching his head and picking his nose as he looked around.

"...Oi Sa, where are weeee?"

"I will kill you if you don't shut up."

She sighed in exasperation. Choosing to drag Luffy through the weird metal door on the whale's back had seemed like the best option ten minutes ago, when the only other possibilities had been either to pray for a miracle or drown. Now, Sakura was wondering if she should have just stayed outside and prayed.

She peered through down the hallway. It was dimly lit by a single lightbulb that gleamed against the worn metal walls and path. In fact, as far as she could see, everything seemed to be made out of crude metal plates. Was this even possible? "A door and a passageway inside a whale," she murmured, "Do you think it would lead to the whale's stomach?"

Luffy tilted his head. "Huh?"

"We might be able to rescue everybody if this passage can somehow lead to the stomach of the whale," Sakura reasoned, "If we really are, you know, inside the whale." Luffy's eyes widened with understanding.

"Then we can't waste any time!" he yelled, "Let's go!"

Before either of them could move however, a huge rumble filled the air and the ground beneath them began to shake.

"What the hell?" Sakura muttered as she stumbled around. Luffy let out confused cries as he struggled to stay on his feet. Suddenly, there was a huge jolt, and the hallway shook violently enough to send them shooting towards the ceiling. Sakura could feel herself tumbling around painfully, and all she could do was grab onto the back of Luffy's shirt. The last thing they needed was to get separated.

"What the-?! Ahh! What's going on?!" Luffy yelped every time they smashed into another wall.

"Why do I feel like something like this has happened before?!" Sakura wailed as her face smacked a metal plate.

"I think I'm gonna' throw up, Sakura!"

"KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, EGGHEAD!"

 _*BAM_ *

The pair smashed headlong into a wall, before falling back down. Sakura let out a groan of pain but managed to raise her head and look around. The rumbling and jolts had stopped, but from the looks of it, they were in a completely different location. Now, a long river ran through the center of the hallway, dividing it into two different walkways. Strangest of all, the water was tinged a light green. Definitely not normal seawater, from the looks of it.

"What's this? What's going on?" Luffy asked as he peered around them.

"A canal or something?" Sakura murmured back absentmindedly. She was about to stagger back to her feet when the rumbling started again. Both her and Luffy were sent tumbling when the walkway suddenly tilted forward.

"Again?!" she and Luffy shrieked. Sakura attempted to get her feet back underneath but all she succeeded in doing was sending a flying kick to Luffy's head. Oops.

Then, just as quickly as it had started, the rumbling stopped and the ground began to slowly tilt back. Sakura was about to let out a cry of relief when she was suddenly jerked forward by Luffy. She glanced over to see her arm tangled up in his straw hat, and him wildly running down the walkway.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" she yelled as she furiously tried to work her arm free.

"CAN'T...STOP!" he yelled back.

 _He must have hit the ground running, that stupid pineapple,_ Sakura thought. The walkways was still slightly tilted forward, which wasn't helping to slow her captain down.

"SOMEBODY HELP! WE'RE GONNA' CRASH" Luffy screamed. Sakura looked up to see them approaching a large metal gateway. In front of the gate stood two strangers, a man and a woman, who looked as equally confused about seeing other people as she was. The man was dressed in a bright green robe with a tacky crown on his head, while the woman had bright blue hair and a light green coat over a blue-striped tank top. As they got nearer and nearer, Sakura managed to pick up a little bit of their conversation.

"What's that, Mr. 9?"

"I don't know, Miss Wednesday!"

Just before impact, Sakura clung tightly onto Luffy's head and shut her eyes. There was a loud crash, followed by several screeches and some colorful curses. Before she knew it, they were soaring through open air. She slowly opened her eyes to see…the Going Merry?

"Huh?" she muttered, still in a daze.

"Luffy?! Chibi?!" Sakura squinted to make out a confused looking Zoro staring right back at them.

"Oh! You guys are safe! Please help us!" Luffy cried.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT, RICE BALL!" Sakura screeched as she and Luffy tumbled into the greenish water.

 _I hate this place._ She thought hopelessly.

* * *

"No show of gratitude, chibi? It's not like I just saved your life or anything."

"I'll thank you when you learn to use my name, shitty rice ball. And it was Sanji who fished me out."

"I'LL GLADLY SAVE YOU ANYTIME, SA-CHWAN!"

"Uhh...yeah, thanks, Sanji, I guess."

Sakura coughed and attempted to rub the foul-smelling green water off her skin. The cavern that they had landed in looked really weird, with a painted in sky on the ceiling and a little island in the water a few feet away from the shit. However, if the rest of the crew was here too, it definitely meant that they were in the stomach of the whale. That would mean the green water she had just taken a dive in was the whale's stomach juices or something. Oh...gross…

She glanced curiously at the two newcomers, who had so far not said a word. However, it was obvious through their constant exchanged eye contact that they were wordlessly communicating with each other. Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"Mr. 9….and Miss Wednesday...right?" she asked. The two of them stared at her, their eyes wide with shock.

"H-h-how do you know our names?" the man stammered, presumably Mr. 9.

"It can't be...are you a one of us as well?" the woman, Miss Wednesday, gasped. Sakura hesitated. Would it be best to play along and say she was a member of...whatever they were from? If she did, she didn't exactly have much to go off of.

Before she could say anything however, a large yell could be heard from overhead. Sakura looked up to see a figure standing by the gate. She frowned. It looked like a human but had petal-like protrusions coming from its head. Was it a man or a large flower?

"As long as I'm alive, I won't let anybody touch this whale!" the figure yelled. Sakura raised her eyebrows. Definitely human. But..who exactly was he?

Beside her, Luffy scratched his head. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"But we're inside the whale now!" Mr. 9 (or whoever he was) screeched. He and the woman Miss Wednesday were now wielding large bazookas, which they aimed straight at the stomach walls of the whale. Wait...where had they gotten those from?

"You can't stop us anymore!" Miss Wednesday cried as they sent two large missiles flying into the air. Sakura instinctively raised her hands, ready to conjure up an energy shield. She wasn't too fond of the whale at the moment, but injuring it probably wouldn't be the best solution seeing that they were inside its stomach. Before her palms could light up however, Zoro blocked her with his arm.

"Taking on two bazooka missiles will hurt, chibi," he grunted. Sakura scowled in annoyance and surprise. Since when did he get so concerned about her wellbeing? Before she could argue back, a large bang filled the air. She whirled her head back to see the flower man falling into the water, smoke billowing from his clothes. What had just happened?

"He used himself as a shield to protect the whale!" Usopp cried.

"He wants to protect the whale?" Nami gasped, "Why would the old man do that?"

"If he can survive some shots, I can too!" Sakura growled, shoving Zoro's arm away.

"It's no use!" Miss Wednesday cackled as she readied her bazooka again, "No matter what happens here, we need the whale for food!"

_*BAM BAM*_

Both of the newcomers suddenly collapsed onto the floor, courtesy of Luffy's fists. Sakura blinked and slowly smiled. Leave it up to her captain to find the easiest solution to a problem.

* * *

"This is an Irish whale from the West Blue, one of the largest species in the world. His name's Laboon. And these idiots come from a town close by. They want to kill Laboon so that they can have his meat for food for several years."

The whole crew had gathered around the old man on the little island to hear him speak, while the bound and gagged Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 wriggled around a few feet away. The man had introduced himself as Crocus, the keeper of the lighthouse and the caretaker of the whale, who was apparently named Laboon.

 _A lighthouse keeper living in a makeshift island inside a whale's stomach,_ Sakura thought, _Not weird at all._

They continued to listen as Crocus explained how Laboon had become friends with a pirate crew that had travelled around West Blue. When the crew set out for the Grand Line, they had left Laboon in the care of Crocus, promising to return once they had travelled around the world.

"Laboon smashes into the Red Line everyday to try and get to the other side," Crocus explained, "He just wants to see his friends again."

Nami nodded in understanding. "That would explain the constant rumbling and shaking in here. It's Laboon charging into the Red Live over and over again."

Crocus grunted in agreement. "The only problem is, it's been 50 years now," he continued, "And Laboon still believes his friends will come back."

Sakura stared in shock. 50 years?!

* * *

"Here's the exit. You can get out Laboon through here," Crocus grunted as he turned a lever. The crew watched in amazement as a large metal gate swung open, revealing the outside ocean.

"The real sky!" Luffy cheered as they slowly sailed out of the whale.

Sakura turned to look at the canal they had just exited from. "Building a transportation system and a home inside a whale," she muttered, "How is that even possible?"

"Anyway, what are we gonna' do with these two?" Usopp asked as he gestured at their two bound captives, who were still flopping around the ship deck.

"Meh. Just toss them out," Luffy replied dismissively.

"KYAAAA!" Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 screamed as they were roughly thrown off the ship by Zoro.

"BE MORE GENTLE WITH THE LADY, DAMMIT!" Sanji yelled. Did he really have to be such a gentleman to every lady who passed by?

"Nice meeting you two!" Sakura called out as she began to turn around.

"Wait! You, girl! How do you know our names?!" Miss Wednesday shrieked. Sakura briefly glanced over her shoulder and winked.

"It's a secret!" she replied, grinning as she watched the two hastily converse with each other in the water.

"How _do_ you know their names?" Nami quietly inquired.

"Overheard them talking to each other," Sakura whispered back. Her whispers transformed into laughs as she watched the two hurriedly swim away, shouting out threats as they did so.

"You make it sound like you're pretty familiar with them," Usopp noted.

"That's the point," Sakura replied as she continued to chuckle.

"Her name was Miss Wednesday, right? What an exquisite girl!" Sanji cooed as he dreamily smoked his cigarette.

"Leave it up to the flirty cook to fall in love with a random stranger," Nami groaned.

"But Crocus-san, about the whale," Usopp pressed once the ship had docked onto the Red Line, "Does he still believe his friends will return after 50 years?

Sanji puffed on his cigarette. "Don't be stupid. This is the Grand Line. If it's been 50 years, the crew's most likely already dead."

Sakura watched as both Luffy and Zoro settled down to take naps. "But friends are supposed to keep their promises, right?" she mused, "Laboon can't give up hope now."

"No matter what, staying for 50 years on the Grand Line is impossible," Crocus replied grimly, "The pirates either somehow managed to get out, or died a long time back. There's no other possibility. If you're not strong enough, you can't survive here."

"So either they were too weak, or too scared to face death," Sanji commented, "And decided to leave regardless of their promise."

"That's just too cruel," Usopp softly moaned.

"Why haven't you just told Laboon the truth then?" Nami asked.

"I've told him everything, but he won't listen," Crocus murmured, "He's too stubborn to think that his friends would forget their promise. I've tried time after time with no result. All he'll do is hit the Red Line with his head."

Sakura nodded in understanding. "What could he do anyway?"

Both Nami and Usopp turned to look at her, confusion on their faces.

"I mean, Laboon's from West Blue right?" she continued, "That means he can't go back home, so all he can do is believe that his friends will come back to him."

"Why do you keep taking care of the whale anyway?" Sanji asked, "You've technically been betrayed too."

Crocus gestured at Laboon's head. "Look at the whale's scars. If he keeps at it, he'll die soon. I've stuck with him for 50 years, and I'm not leaving him now.

"YOOOOOOSSSHHHH!" Luffy yelled, disrupting their conversation. The rest of the crew turned to see him leaping onto the Laboon's head, a large pillar of wood under his arm.

"Wait…" Nami grunted.

"Isn't that…" Sakura muttered.

"The Merry's mast?" Usopp finished.

"Most likely…?" Sanji answered absentmindedly.

…

"WAIT, WHAT?!"

"GOMU GOMU NOOO…FLOWER ARRANGEMENT!" their captain screamed as he drove the mast straight into Laboon's head. For several seconds, there was a stark silence, before utter pandemonium was unleashed.

"BOOOHHHHH! BOOOHHHH! BOOHHH!" Laboon wailed as he thrashed around the water.

"AHHHHHH!" Luffy screamed from where he was hanging on tightly to the ship's mast, now imbedded deeply into the crown of the whale's forehead.

"YOU IDIOT!" the rest of the crew screeched, their faces pale with shock.

"HE BROKE THE SHIP'S MAST!" Usopp wailed, tears running down his face.

Laboon let out another roar of anger, and tilted his head forward.

"HE'S GONNA' HIT LAND!" Zoro yelled.

"WHY DID WE PICK A STUPID MUSHROOM TO BE OUR CAPTAIN AGAIN!?" Sakura shrieked.

* _BANG*_

Laboon drove his head full force into the Red Line, before recoiling back with a wail of pain.

"The kid!" Crocus choked out. Sakura hurriedly wrenched him before he could run forward.

"Our captain's safety shouldn't be the main concern!" she warned. As if to prove her point, Luffy leapt out of the dust from the impact, looking completely unharmed, and sent a punch straight into Laboon's eye. In response, the whale smacked Luffy with his forehead, sending the boy flying back into the Red Line.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Luffy?!" Zoro yelled.

"SO WE'RE EVEN NOW RIGHT?!"

Everybody, including the very enraged whale, stared in confusion at Luffy, who was grinning despite having just been smashed into a rocky wall.

"But we still don't know the result of this fight, so we'll have to fight again," he continued, "Your friends may be dead, but I'm still alive. Once we finish travelling around the Grand Line, we'll come back to see you! So let's fight again next time!"

Everybody watched as tears brimmed around Laboon's eyes, and grins erupted on their faces as the whale let out a cry of acknowledgement.

"Well I'll be damned," Zoro whistled.

Sakura chuckled. "Leave it up to our idiot captain to do something like that."

* * *

"Well...it certainly...has Luffy's mark," Sakura muttered as she stared at the her captain's work.

After half an hour of painstaking work, Luffy had managed to paint a lopsided version of the crew's Jolly Roger onto the forehead of the whale. Or Sakura assumed it to be the Jolly Roger. To be honest, the painting was so disproportionate that she wasn't really sure what it was.

"I think you should have done it for him, chibi," Zoro mused as he gazed alongside her.

"This is a sign of the promise between you and me!" Luffy declared, "You can't hit your head or else the sign will disappear. It needs to stay until we come back to see you!"

"Boh."

"Yosh! Then that's that!"

"I don't think it would have the same meaning if I painted it instead," Sakura giggled as she turned away.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in leisure and preparation. Nami settled down to chart their voyage while Sanji busied himself with preparing his long awaited elephant tuna for lunch. Usopp spent his time struggling to repair the ship's mast while cursing under his breath and Zoro chose to nap his time away. As for Sakura, she took the time to catch up on her sketching, choosing to carefully capture a snapshot of Luffy smashing the masthead into Laboon's scarred forehead.

"Luffy showing...his love...for Laboon," she muttered, carefully labelling the drawing in neat print. She lightly touched her necklace charmed, a soft smile on her face. "How's that for ya', Keri?"

"AHHHH!"

Sakura whirled around to see Nami staring horrified at her compass. "It won't stop spinning!" she cried. Sakura frowned. What was that supposed to mean?

Crocus shook his head from where he sat a few feet away. "You really don't know much about navigation on the Grand Line do you?"

"Food is served!" Sanji yelled.

"Hungry hungry!" Luffy chanted as he gobbled up the elephant tuna steaks.

"I could use a break!" Usopp added as he joined in.

Sakura took a seat as well, heartily eating a chunk of the delicious elephant tuna as she listened to Crocus explain how a special compass called the "Log Pose" was needed to navigate through the Grand Line. She almost spat out her food in surprise when Luffy pulled one out of his pocket.

"The weird strangers left it on our ship when Zoro tossed them overboard," he explained as Nami eagerly took it from him and strapped it to her wrist.

Crocus began explaining how exactly the Log Pose was supposed to be used, and Sakura chose to focus her attention back to the rapidly dwindling pile of elephant tuna. She quickly smacked away Luffy's hand and grabbed another portion of fish. Minutes later, the entire table was completely devoid of food.

"Ahhh, let's set sail then!" Luffy exclaimed as he let out a burp. Sanji, Usopp, and Sakura gaped at the bare table. Even the bones had been crunched away by their captain.

"You ate all the precious food I had prepared for Nami-san!" Sanji growled, his eyes alight with flames.

"Luffy's gonna' get it," Sakura sang under her breath.

With a roar of anger, Sanji lashed out his foot and kicked Luffy square in the head, sending him flying straight past Nami. Sakura laughed alongside Usopp at first, but quickly shut up when she saw the murderous look on Nami's face...and the shattered log pose in her hands. Luffy must have smashed it somehow when he had gone flying past her.

"WHY DON'T YOU TWO GO TAKE A SWIM?!" the navigator shrieked as she sent the Sanji and Luffy flying into the ocean.

"Wasn't that the most important tool we had?" Usopp cried.

"So…are we screwed now?" Sakura asked nervously.

"Relax. I have a spare that I'll give you for helping Laboon," Crocus said reassuringly. Nami let out a sigh and slumped her head.

"Thanks, Crocus-san," she muttered.

_*Blegh!*_

_*Cough!*_

_*Sputter!*_

_*Gasp!*_

Sakura turned to see fours heads emerge from the water and droop over the edge of the land. Two of them were Luffy and Sanji. The other two...were the whale hunters from before? What were they doing here?

Sanji immediately got to his feet and stuck out his hand towards the woman. "Allow me to help you, Miss Wednesday," he murmured humbly. Sakura resisted the urge to smack him.

The other one, Mr. 9, stumbled to his feet before turning to face Luffy, who had crawled up from the water and collapsed on top of the table. "Favor. We need a favor!" he gasped.

Luffy tilted his head. "Huh?"

Sakura watched curiously as Mr. 9 bowed his head. "We need to get to Whiskey Peak. It's the town where we live. Please."

Nami smirked. "Trying to kill a whale and then coming back to beg for our help? How thoughtful."

"Who are exactly are you guys anyway?" Usopp asked.

To everybody's surprise, the two newcomers got to their knees and bowed in front of Luffy. "We really can't tell you, but we need to get back to our town! We'll pay you if you want!" Miss Wednesday cried.

The two looked helplessly at Sakura. Oh yeah, that was right. Back at their last meeting, she had made it sound like she was one of them...whatever they were. Judging from their strange codelike names and how they had easily accepted her as one of them, Sakura guessed that they were secret spies or agents working on undercover missions and assumed her to be one as well. She smiled inwardly. Desperate and willing to see her as a secret supporter? Why not toy with them a little bit?

"It wouldn't hurt to let them hitch a ride, but we do have a problem with the uhh..Nami what was it called again?" she asked, winking furtively at Nami. Thankfully, the navigator caught on.

"Oh, the Log Pose? Yeah, I might have broken it," she replied cheerfully, dangling the shattered object in her hand, "But do you guys still wanna' to come along?"

"YOU BROKE IT?! THAT WAS MINE!" Mr. 9 shrieked.

"YOU GUYS CAN'T EVEN LEAVE HERE NOW! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET BACK HOME?!" Miss Wednesday wailed.

"Oh, but Crocus-san did give us another!" Nami cried, giggling as the two whale hunters went back to their begging.

"It's fine. They can come," Luffy said simply.

Sakura grinned. "Captain's orders are law."

Moments later, the crew was ready to set sail. As Nami made last minute confirmations with Crocus, Sakura sidled over to Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday.

"Remember, just sit tight. We'll get back at Whiskey Peak soon," she whispered secretively.

"So...you're really one of us? A number agent?" Mr. 9 asked quietly.

Sakura winked, though her mind was deep in thought. Number agent? Was that what they were called? "Undercover. I was sent to tail these pirates for some reason," she explained.

"The boss will be mad at us," Miss Wednesday moaned, "He already sent the Unluckies to find us."

Sakura frowned inwardly. Boss? Unluckies? What were they talking about? However, she made sure to maintain an air of concern.

"The Unluckies, huh?" she said, furrowing her brow, "That's really...umm...unlucky...for you guys."

Mr. 9 nodded in agreement. "Hopefully trapping this pirate crew will make up for our failed mission. By the way, what number are you? I've never seen you before."

Sakura felt her blood run cold. What did they mean, trapping them? Would there be some sort of ambush at Whiskey Peak? Sakura made a mental note to to warn the crew about it later. She winked again and ruffled Mr. 9's hair, ignoring his yelps to keep her hand away from his crown.

"Best if I kept that a secret, you know?" she whispered, "Me being undercover and everything." With that, Sakura turned and left, grinning as she listened to the pair urgently confide with each other. She walked a few feet away before stopping in front of a certain green-haired swordsman, who still lay snoring on the deck.

"Only a rice ball like you would be able to sleep through all of this," she muttered, a smirk on her face. Zoro grunted in his sleep, completely oblivious. Sakura turned back to the front of the ship, where Luffy, Nami, and Usopp was waving at Crocus.

"See you later, flower guy!" Luffy yelled, "Thanks for the help!"

"And the Log Pose!" Nami added.

Crocus grinned. "Come back soon, huh?"

Luffy grinned cheekily before turning back to Laboon, who was peering down at them several meters away.

"I'M GOING NOW, WHALE! BUT I'LL BE BACK!" he yelled. Laboon responded with an equally enthusiastic cry.

Sakura smiled at the ocean and gently touched her necklace charms. Unluckies. The boss. Number agents. Whatever those words meant, they would soon find out. Afterall, it was only the start of the Grand Line. Who knew what kind of adventure lay in front of them?

"SET SAIL FOR WHISKEY PEAK!"


	12. What's a Cacti?

With a groan, Sakura slammed her face against the kitchen table.

"Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid," she muttered while continuously banging her head against the wood. Nami, who had been staring through the door window for some time, came over and playfully mussed up Sakura's hair.

"You don't look very happy about the snow anymore, Sa-chan," she chuckled as she poked the spy's head, "What's up?"

"Tried to help Sanji with the shoveling and nearly buried Usopp in snow because I was so enthusiastic," Sakura grumbled back.

Nami grinned. "You may be a great spy and amazing at drawing but you suck at everything else, don't you?"

"Shut up."

Sakura wrinkled her nose as she thought of the past few hours. Their voyage into the Grand Line had already started off with a bang. Within only a few hours, the climate had taken a drastic turn from sunny skies to snow and ice. She had been excited at first, having never experienced freezing weather before, but that excitement had quickly dulled down after she had slipped numerous times in the ice, wrecked Usopp's snow sculptures (he had given her hell for that), and nearly sent Luffy overboard (twice) from an over enthusiastic snowball fight. Sakura had then tried to be of help by assisting Sanji with shoveling the snow overboard, but of course, she had to mess that up too.

"I don't know why Zoro calls you chibi," Nami continued, her smile widening, "Klutz would suit you better."

"Thanks for making me feel better," Sakura growled back.

"No problem!" Nami replied cheerfully.

Before Sakura could utter a rebuke, a flash of light illuminated the room. Nami rushed to the window, her eyes wide with shock.

"First snow, then lightning?" she gasped, "Crocus-san really was right about the weather! I can't predict any of this!"

"Of course a newbie like you would underestimate the Grand Line."

Both Sakura and Nami turned to see Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday smirking at them from across the kitchen table. Sakura frowned. She had forgotten about the two whale hunters until now.

"Nami, go make sure the rest of the crew isn't wrecking the ship somehow," she said casually. Nami had looked ready for murder after Mr. 9's remark, but she took one look at Sakura's face and nodded, exiting outside as she did so.

Sakura leaned on her elbows and studied the two whale hunters. Their smirks had melted under her cold gaze. Inwardly, her mind was racing to make up a story. As far as Sakura could tell, her nakama would be in danger at Whiskey Peak, and it was her job to make sure they would be ready for what was to come.

"I've been meaning to talk to you guys, away from this ship's crew," she began, " I was assigned the mission of trailing this pirate crew by the boss, and you guys told me about your plans to have an ambush set up at Whiskey Peak."

The sheepish glances from the two was all Sakura got in response.

"My advice? Don't mess with the Straw Hats," she continued, "I'm guessing they'll somehow lead me to a sort of...umm...treasure or bounty...and I was given strict orders to uhhh…not get the organization involved with the crew, and I don't need two inferiors like you guys ruining it."

Sakura was well of aware of the uncertainty in her voice, and expected the two to show skepticism or suspicion. To her surprise, both Mr. 9 and Mss Wednesday stared in shock.

"So you are a lower number agent, aren't you?!" Mr. 9 gasped, "Which one? 6? 7? Or...it can't be...an officer agent?!"

"Uhh...yes," Sakura replied slowly. So the smaller the number, the more powerful? And what's an officer agent? "And whatever my number is, it's none of your business," she said coldly.

Both Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 visibly shivered.

"Another thing," she continued, "You'll jump ship and swim over to the island so it looks like you didn't have anything to do with us. And when we arrive at Whiskey Peak, there'll be no mention of me. I need to stay anonymous so the Straw Hats don't get suspicious. Got it?"

"Of course, ma'am!"

"No mention of you! Got it!"

The two continued to stare fearfully at her. Inwardly, Sakura was laughing at their reactions, but she made sure to keep her face stoic and emotionless. Apparently, being an officer agent or whatever made her someone dangerous.

"AHHHHHHH! WHAT THE HELL!?"

Sakura whirled around. The scream had definitely come from outside and sounded like Nami's voice. She wasn't sure if it something serious or just the Luffy and Usopp messing around, but she ran outside in panic.

"What's going on?!" she yelled.

"Turn the ship around 180 degrees! NOW!" Nami shrieked. Sakura noted that the navigator was staring intently at the Log Pose.

"Huh? Did you leave something?" Luffy asked as he continued to make another snowball.

"I swear I only turned away for a second, and the waves are completely calm! How was our ship heading in the complete opposite direction this whole time?" Nami cried. Sakura ran over and studied the Log Pose. The needle was pointed behind them. Sakura wasn't much of an expert on navigation, but she was pretty sure that wasn't a good thing.

"Are you even a real navigator? You can't trust anything on the Grand Line! Not the clouds, or ocean, or the wind. Only the Log Pose," Miss Wednesday chuckled. She and Mr. 9 had emerged from the ship's interior and were lazily watching the crew sink into deeper panic.

"SHUT THE HELL UP AND HELP!" Nami shrieked as she threw a clump of ice at them. Everybody except for Zoro, who was somehow still sleeping despite the noise, rushed into action. The next few hours, well, Sakura could only describe them as complete chaos.

"Sanji-kun, take control of the rudder and turn this ship around!

"As you wish, Nami-san!"

"Wait the winds are changing!"

"OI, ZORO WAKE UP! WE'RE IN AN EMERGENCY!"

"Zzzzzz….Zzzzzz…..Zzzzz..."

"How the hell is he able to sleep through all of this?!"

"A dolphin! Nami, let's get closer!"

"SHUT UP LUFFY!"

"Nami-san, there's an iceberg starboard side!"

"The wind's shifting, too!"

"SHIT, THE SHIP'S LEAKING!"

"WELL GO FIX IT DAMMIT!"

"WE'RE GOING OFF COURSE, TURN 180 DEGREES AGAIN!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

* * *

"I...hate this place," Sakura coughed out, as she lay splayed out on the ship's deck. The weather had finally calmed down after the hours of freak storms and wildness, and the ship now drifted around the quiet ocean. The rest of the crew members were lying around her, their strength completely spent from the previous madness. Suddenly, some sleepy mumbling interrupted the silence.

"Woah...that was a nice nap…Huh, why are you guys all lying around?"

Sakura slowly turned her head to see Zoro peering down at her. So the stupid rice ball had finally woken up. An ugly scowl formed on her face.

"Oi chibi, now's not the time for sleeping," he grunted, nudging her with his boot.

"…"

"You did not just say that," Sakura growled, "You definitely did not just say that to me."

"Huh?"

Despite her exhaustion, Sakura jerked up and hooked her arm around Zoro's. With a roar of anger, she swung herself up onto Zoro's back and dug her fingers into his scalp, tugging wildly at his stupid moss hair with all her might. For once, Sakura appreciated her small size, as it allowed her to easily perch on top of his shoulders.

"I. HATE. YOUR. GUTS. YOU. STUPID. ANNOYING. RICEBALL!" she screeched, emphasizing each word with a jerk of his hair. Forget Devil Fruit powers. Zoro needed to get some lasting physical pain.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" the swordsman yelled as he stumbled backwards, his hands struggling to undo Sakura from his back. In his distraction, he ended up tripping over a moaning Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday. Both Zoro and Sakura tumbled to a ground in a scramble of limbs, with Sakura pinned underneath his rear end.

"GET OFF OF ME, WATERMELON BUTT!" she shrieked while flailing her legs around wildly. Zoro ignored her and peered down at the two whale hunters, who stared back in shock.

"...Who're you?" he asked.

Both Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday scrambled backwards in fear.

"Wait, you never met them?" Usopp moaned as he sat upright.

"Are you saying you were asleep since the Red Line?!" Sakura cried from where she still was wriggling under Zoro.

"We're taking them back to their town. Prickly Peak or whatever," Luffy cut in cheerfully from where he sat on the railing.

"We don't have any reason for doing that, do we?" Zoro asked.

"Nope!"

"Well then, I asked you a question," Zoro said as he turned his attention back to the whale hunters, who had started to sweat profusely. Sakura couldn't blame them. Zoro did look a little bit intimidating, especially since he was still sitting on top of her. Or maybe that was just making him look like an asshole...

"M-mr. 9."

"M-m-miss Wednesday."

"Sounds a little familiar. Why is that?" Zoro muttered as he raised his eyebrows.

"For the last time, GET THE HELL OFF ME!" Sakura yelled. With a grunt, she lashed straight upward with her leg and managed to land a solid kick to Zoro's side. She was mildly curious was to why he recognized those names, but was too angry to really care. As Zoro shifted his weight, she managed to scramble out, and was about to give him another kick, but somebody beat her to it.

"Never mind them, Zoro. You were having such a nice nap," Nami whispered gravely, her fist still clenched after having dealt a blow to the swordsman's head, "We've been trying to wake you up for hours now."

"Nami, shall we do it together?" Sakura growled as she raised her fist as well.

"It would be a pleasure."

.

.

.

"Jeez, you always piss off the ladies, shitty marimo," Sanji muttered minutes later. Zoro's head resembled a deformed balloon from all the lumps, and both Nami's and Sakura's fists were still steaming from their stream of punches.

"Everybody, keep on your toes!" Nami called out, "My navigation techniques don't work here, so we never know what might happen!

"We're gonna' die," Usopp whimpered.

"Don't say that yet," Nami grinned as she pointed off into the distance, "Look over there."

Sakura peered into the ocean horizon, her eyes widening. Surrounded by thin wisps of mist was a large lump that was vaguely shaped like mounds of boulders. An island.

"Whiskey Peak," Nami confirmed, grinning.

"Looks like cacti," Sanji noted.

What's a cacti? Sakura wondered silently as she stared at the island. She had never heard of that word before, not even in the stories from sailors back at Kaihana Island.

"So this is Whiskey Peak huh? Looks exciting!" Luffy cried as he jumped onto Merry's head. Sakura slowly sidled over to Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9.

"Remember what I said?" she whispered casually. Both of them tensed up and sprung back.

"Yes! Umm...We must be going now! We really thank you for your help!" Mr. 9 cried.

"Until we meet again!" Miss Wednesday added. Sakura watched with satisfaction as both of them leapt off the ship and began frantically swimming away.

"Huh?" Luffy stared after them, "Where are they going?"

"Don't worry about it," Sakura replied as she casually dusted herself off, "We've got a lot to talk about before we land."

.

.

.

"So they're part of a secret organization that works under a boss? And they want to ambush us at the island?" Nami repeated.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "They think I'm a secret agent of theirs. I think they called it an...umm...officer agent? I'm not sure what that is, but they got scared when I pretended to confirm it. They used a lot of other weird terms, too. "

She turned to Zoro, who looked bored despite the new information. "You said that their names sounded familiar. Why is that?"

"Just a hunch. Nothing for sure," he yawned. Sakura noted to never ask him for help again.

"Then why are we even going? I'm think I'm coming down with can't-go-onto-the-island-disease," Usopp muttered.

"It can't be helped. Crocus-san said that the Log Pose will need to take some time before it can get reset to point towards the next island," Nami said, gesturing towards the Log Pose.

"So we have to stay on the island even if it's full of danger?" Usopp shrieked.

"Let's not worry about it! It's not fun if we don't go," Luffy chuckled.

"And I did warn the two to not mess with us," Sakura added, "But I get the feeling..."

"WELCOME!"

"WELCOME TO WHISKEY PEAK!"

"PIRATES! WELCOME TO OUR TOWN!"

"CONGRATS ON YOUR BRAVERY, PIRATE WARRIORS!"

The ship had slowly sailed into the island cove, and the crew could easily make out the swarm of people who gathered around the docks to cheer for them. Definitely not normal.

"...That something's wrong," Sakura finished as she quickly ducked behind Zoro and Nami, "No islanders would welcome pirates, no matter how nice they are. Look, here's my idea. I told the two to not mention that I'm here. I'll hide back on the ship, and try to sneak out to look around the place when everybody's gone. See if I can find what's up with this island."

"LOOK AT ALL THE CUTE GIRLS!" Sanji gushed as his eyes transformed into hearts.

"Guess they treat pirates like heroes, huh?" Usopp chuckled as he and Luffy blew kisses and waved to the crowd.

Sakura sighed. Of course they would ignore her.

"Sounds like a good plan," Nami chirped, "There's definitely something wrong with this place."

"At least somebody understand the problem," Sakura muttered, "Just make sure not to tell them I'm here."

With a nod at Nami and Zoro, who seemed like the only ones not distracted by the people on the island, she quickly ducked into the ship's interior, and settled down behind the kitchen counter, content to wait. A few minutes later, she could hear her nakama were being welcomed by the islanders. Sakura frowned. She had told the two whale hunters not to ambush the crew. That shouldn't have translated to parties and celebrations.

"Let's see how good you guys are at following directions," she muttered.

* * *

Sakura cautiously peered through a crack in the doorway. Nighttime had fallen, and the only commotion seemed to be coming from the island's town center. Making sure to keep silent, she crept out of the Merry's interior and scurried over to the ship's edge, pressing herself to the railing. Her dark clothing would help to disguise her in the night, though years of sneaking around Loguetown's marine base had taught Sakura that she could never be too careful.

Her eyes constantly searching for any possible signs of danger, Sakura slowly lowered herself to the ground. She glanced around the island. It did indeed look like a pile of boulders, covered in what seemed like tiny growths.

"So this is called a cacti? I guess cacti are pretty big then," she muttered to herself. Sakura swiftly raced down the island beach and took cover by a large rock, where she crouched panting. She continued to stare at the "cacti." There was something strange about the little growths all over the boulders. Now that she was much closer to them, they almost resembled...small white sticks?

The nearest part of the "cacti" was several hundred meters away. After carefully making sure that the coast was clear, Sakura crept closer. Suddenly, she ground to a halt.

"Holy…shit," she breathed. She was still a few meters away from the "cacti," but the white things on it were now easily visible. They weren't really lumps, or sticks. They were crosses...gravemarkers.

"This...this is a graveyard," she muttered, "This island...is a graveyard...Wait...A cacti is a graveyard?"

Sakura stumbled back, her mind racing. What was going on? First an organization that dealt with ambushes and shit, and now...a graveyard that somehow filled up the entire island? She had to find the others and get the hell out. Sakura whirled around, ready to sprint back to the ship, only to find two creatures blocking her path. One was a small, brown otter dressed in a polka dotted coat while the other was a black feathered bird with a yellow flapped hat. Sakura frowned.

"...Hello?" She muttered uncertainly. Were they members of the island too? Or just…some randomly dressed animals? Sakura tried to mentally reassure herself. Islanders or not, they were animals. She could easily take them on...right?

Sakura watched as the otter held out a small seashell. She giggled. It actually looked a little cute. However, her giggle quickly died when sharp blades emerged from the shell's tip.

"Shit," she muttered, "That's not cute at all."

She had barely gotten an energy shield around her when the creature leaped up into the air and lashed out with its shell weapon. The weapon felt as painful as daggers against her shield, and Sakura had to bite her lip to prevent from crying out. She released her shield and leapt back, her palms glowing with light. Quickly, Sakura calmed her mind and focused on her emotions. Her nakama. She needed to reach her nakama.

"Love's…Suffering!" she growled. Her palm filled with a burst of light, and she lashed out. Otter guy managed to dodge out of the way, but the bird received a direct hit and collapsed with a gurgle, where it lay twitching and trembling. Sakura whirled back around, and she and the otter creature squared off.

"Alright you're next," she muttered, letting her palm light up again, "My ultimate move...BYE!"

Sakura dashed off, not even bothering to see if otter guy was following. There was no way that she was going to waste time trying to fight it. She scowled. The two creatures had to be part of whatever organization Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday were talking. There was no other explanation. The only thing was, her little expedition had left Sakura with more question than answers.

"Two whale hunters with funny names, a weird town that welcomes pirates, a cacti graveyard, and two rabid animals," she muttered, "This place is really messed up."

* * *

Sakura sprinted from rooftop to rooftop, her eyes intently scanning the town around her. The previous noise and celebration had died down, but she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Where is everybody?" she murmured. Suddenly, a glint in the corner of her eye stopped her dash. Sakura turned to see Zoro lounging casually on one of the rooftops. The glint had come from his unsheathed katana, which shined in the bright moonlight. Without hesitation, she leaped over and settled by his side. Strangely, the swordsman look unsurprised to see her.

"Yo, chibi," he muttered, "Took you long enough."

Sakura scowled and mentally restrained herself from punching him. "The others?" she whispered.

"Passed out inside."

"Seriously? After all that I've told them?"

"Nami got the signal at least."

"That works. Where is she?"

"Probably out looking for treasure."

"Better than nothing."

Zoro chuckled lightly. "So what exactly did you find, Miss Talented Spy?"

"A graveyard and some rabid animals. Just a confirmation that this place is a bit messed up," she whispered back, purposefully ignoring his mockery. There would be time to kick his ass up later.

"Sounds about right."

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "You knew that this island was hiding something and you didn't say anything?

"Figured it out a few minutes ago," Zoro replied casually.

"I really hate you."

"Sounds about right, too."

Sakura pointedly turned away from Zoro and looked over the roof ledge. A group of people stood below them, urgently talking. She could make out Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 from before, as well as a large guy with extremely curly hair and a muscular woman. Another large crowd stood behind them, with many of the them absentmindedly toying with weapons. From what Sakura could hear (and see), it was obvious that they were planning on looting and capturing the Straw Hats.

"Looks like the whale hunters didn't listen to my instructions correctly," she remarked dryly.

"Do you really expect them to?" Zoro muttered.

"Not really. But it was worth a try."

"Look, you can sneak around all you want, chibi, but that's not how you win a fight," Zoro chuckled as he began to rise to his knees, "I'll show you how it's done."

"Oi, what are you doing?!" Sakura hissed, only to be ignored.

"Sorry, but my crew's a little tired after our journey. Wouldn't you mind giving them a break?" Zoro called out, startling the people below. Sakura gaped at him from where she still crouched hidden from view.

"This is how people get killed, rice ball!" she whispered angrily. Naturally, Zoro continued to ignore her.

"This is the place isn't it?" he continued, "Where bounty hunters wait for the pirates that first enter the Grand Line. Why don't I be your challenger tonight, Baroque Works!"

Bounty hunters? And...Baroque Works? Is that what the whole organization is called? Sakura thought, scowling. And why the hell did Zoro know so much?

Apparently Zoro could read her mind pretty well. "Upset that I'm better at this whole info-gathering thing than you are?" he taunted softly enough so only she could hear.

"Do you make it your personal mission to get everybody to hate you?" Sakura spat.

"How do you know our company's name?!" somebody yelled. Sakura couldn't see who it was, but the voice sounded like it belonged to Mr. 9.

"When I was still a hunter, your company sent an agent to ask me to join you," Zoro explained, "Every employee goes by a secret name and follows the orders of a boss, even if you don't know who the boss is, or where he lives. The company name, Baroque Works. Is it supposed to be a secret?"

That was it. Sakura couldn't take another second of it. She leapt up from her crouch and smacked Zoro's face. "Are you trying to steal my job or something!?" she yelled.

"You! The agent that was on the ship!" Miss Wednesday cried. Sakura glared down at her.

"Care to explain why you didn't follow my instructions and leave the crew alone, you goddamn blueberry?!" she screeched. She watched as both Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 awkwardly scratched their heads. Sakura suddenly had a sneaking suspicion.

"You wanted to mess up my mission to make me look bad, huh? Thought it might ease the blow from your own failure," she growled. The silence that greeted her confirmed her thought.

"Who the hell are you?!" the muscular woman yelled.

Sakura hesitated. "An...uhh...officer agent...yeah! So if you'll excuse me, I got a...uh...mission to complete and would really appreciate you not interfering!" She hurriedly reached out her hand to grab Zoro's collar and lug him away, but she only grasped air. With a groan, Sakura looked down to see that the roof was completely empty except for herself.

"I'm gonna' kill him. I swear that I'm gonna' kill him," she muttered. Sakura peered down to see the swordsman already engaged in combat with the Baroque Works people.

"If you're so into fighting, you can deal with your own mess, rice ball!" she growled before turning away. She didn't have time for this.

I gotta' find out more. There's no way in hell I'll let him beat me in my own job! Sakura thought angrily.

Still muttering curses about the swordsman, she leapt into the night.


End file.
